Wisconsin Sikh Temple Shooting

On the morning of August 5, 2012, members of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek were preparing langar, a communal meal, ahead of children's classes scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Around 10:25 a.m. CDT, emergency calls reported a shooting at the gurdwara. Responding police officers engaged the gunman, later identified as 40-year-old Wade Michael Page, who had already shot several people inside the temple. Page shot and wounded the first responding officer, Lieutenant Brian Murphy, who was struck fifteen times at close range, including in the face and the back of the head, but survived. Another officer shot Page in the stomach, after which Page fatally shot himself in the head. Four people were killed inside the temple, and three, including Page, died outside.

The six people killed were Paramjit Kaur, 41; Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, founder of the gurdwara; Prakash Singh, 39, a Granthi who had recently received his green card; Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; and Suveg Singh, 84. All were members of the Sikh faith, and the male victims wore turbans as part of their religious practice. Four of the six were Indian nationals. A seventh victim, Baba Punjab Singh, a Sikh Granthi who was shot in the head and left partially paralyzed and unable to breathe independently or speak, died on March 2, 2020, at age 72; his death was ruled a homicide.

Page had legally purchased the 9mm Springfield XD(M) pistol used in the attack on July 28, 2012, at a gun shop in West Allis, Wisconsin, passing a background check and paying cash along with three 19-round magazines. He was a U.S. Army veteran, discharged in 1998 for a "pattern of misconduct," and had lived in Cudahy, Wisconsin. He had ties to white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, reportedly including the Hammerskins, and had been involved in white-power music since 2000, founding the band End Apathy and playing in other racist bands. Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said the department initially treated the incident as a domestic terrorism case before handing the investigation to the FBI, which also examined possible ties to white supremacist groups. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder described the shooting as "an act of terrorism, an act of hatred, a hate crime." Authorities said Page's motive died with him and was never conclusively established.

The shooting drew national and international responses, including condolences from President Barack Obama, who ordered flags flown at half-staff, and from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Vigils were held in the United States, Canada, and India, and First Lady Michelle Obama visited the temple later that month. A congressional hearing on hate crimes was held in September 2012 in response to the attack.