Police: 7 dead, including suspect, at Sikh temple - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Police in Wisconsin say the FBI will handle the investigation of shootings at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee.

Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards says the case is being treated as a domestic terrorism case and the FBI is better equipped to handle that.

Edwards said during a news conference Sunday afternoon that seven people were dead, including the suspected shooter, and three people were wounded. One of those is a police officer shot by the suspect.

The shootings happened about 10:30 a.m. as people were gathering for a service at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, which is just south of Milwaukee.

Chief Edwards said the suspect "ambushed" one of the first officers to arrive at the scene as the officer tended to a shooting victim.

Edwards says the suspect shot the officer multiple times outside the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin on Sunday morning. A second officer then exchanged gunfire with the suspect and fatally shot him.

Edwards says the officer who was ambushed is undergoing surgery at a nearby hospital and is expected to survive.

Police earlier said the officer who was shot had killed the gunman, but released updated information later Sunday afternoon.

Later on, authorities evacuated parts of a neighborhood and searched a home in a Milwaukee suburb northeast of the Sikh temple.

Officers roped off four blocks in a neighborhood with a mix of duplexes and single-family homes in Cudahy, about six miles from the temple.

The owner of one of the duplexes says authorities are targeting his property. Kurt Weins says authorities haven't told him why they're searching his duplex or whether it's related to the shooting. He says he rented the duplex's upper unit to a man about a month ago. He wouldn't identify the tenant.

Milwaukee County sheriff's spokeswoman Fran McLaughlin said the department's bomb squad were on the scene, but had no details about why it was called.

Sikhs across the country are saying that the fatal shootings have increased fears of violence that have existed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

While police have not identified the gunman, who was killed by police, or described a possible motive for the Wisconsin shootings, several leaders of Sikh organizations nationwide say the killings have brought to the surface fears that have lingered since 9/11 when some ignorant about their beliefs began mistaking them for potential terrorists.

Filmmaker Valarie Kaur says every Sikh American today is "hurting, grieving and afraid." The New York Police Department has boosted security around Sikh temples, although it says there are no known threats.

Meantime, President Barack Obama says he and first lady Michelle Obama are "deeply saddened" by the killings.

In a statement issued by the White House, Obama tells the people of Oak Creek, Wis., that "the American people have them in our thoughts and prayers." He says, "Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who were killed and wounded."

The president says his administration will provide "whatever support is necessary" to those investigating the shooting.

Mitt Romney, likely Republican challenger for the presidency, also expressed his sorrow about the shooting. He called it " a senseless act of violence and a tragedy that should never befall any house of worship." Romney said in a statement. "Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the entire Oak Creek Sikh community. We join Americans everywhere in mourning those who lost their lives and in prayer for healing in the difficult days ahead."

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