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Cheat Sheet: Wisconsin Sikh Temple Shooting

Tragedy struck Sunday night as another senseless shooting left six people dead and three wounded at a Sikh temple. Our thoughts and concerns go out to the families of the victims. For those that aren’t too sure of the terrible happening on Sunday night, we’ve put together a chronicle of the details.

What Happened:

The gunman entered the lobby of the Wisconsin Sikh Temple Sunday morning and began firing at priests.
He then walked through the temple as congregants began to flee in a panic.
Six people were killed and three seriously wounded.
The gunman was shot and killed by police in the temple’s parking lot after he fired several shots at an officer trying to help one of the victims.
It’s reported that the 9 mm semi-automatic handgun was legally purchased from a licensed gun dealer.
The shooting is being treated as an act of “domestic terrorism.”

The Suspect:

The gunman has been identified as Wade Michael Page, 40.
He’s a US Army veteran. And served as a specialist from 1992 to 1998.
Sources say he was discharged as a result of “patterns of misconduct.”
Southern Poverty Law Center officials said they’ve been tracking him for the last 10 years because of his ties to the white supremacist movement.
He’s been described as “a frustrated neo-Nazi who had been the leader of a racist white-power band.”

What Is The Sikh Religion:

It was founded by Guru Nanak (who preached monotheism and equality in reaction to the Hindu caste system) in 1469.
There are about 27 million followers worldwide. (It's the fifth largest religion globally.)
Around 250,000 Sikhs currently live in the US.
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion. The basic Sikh belief is represented by the phrase Ik Onkar = "One God."