7 dead, including gunman, in Wis. shooting at Sikh temple

Police are investigating a shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, south of Milwaukee, where at least seven people, including the gunman, were killed. At least three people, including a police officer who exchanged shots with the suspect, were injured and taken to a hospital.

Update at 6:28 p.m. ET:

President Obama has talked by telephone with FBI Director Bob Mueller, White House chief of staff Jack Lew and Homeland Security adviser John Brennan regarding an update on the situation on the shooting at the Sikh temple, according to a statement just released by the White House.

The president also has telephoned Wis. Gov. Scott Walker, Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi and Charanjeet Singh, trustee of the temple, to express his condolences, according to the statement.

Update at 6:13 p.m. ET:

USA TODAY and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel have published Storify timelines culled from social media posts regarding the shooting.

The Journal-Sentinel Storify essentially provides a real-time tracking of the incident as it unfolded, from one witness seeing police rush to the scene with assault rifles to another witness apologizing for calling the Sikhs followers of Islam in her haste to get the word out.

The USA TODAY Storify follows reaction to the incident throughout the day.

Update at 5:54 p.m. ET:

Lee Biblo, chief medical officer at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, tells CNN that the three injured victims taken there are in critical condition. Earlier, Biblo said the three were all male and adults, and he now says all are older than 40.

Biblo says one suffered shots to the abdomen and chest, another suffered shots to the extremities and face and a third suffered injury to the neck.

Two of the three have undergone surgery and a third has undergone a procedure, Biblo says.

He would not identify which of the three was the police officer.

Update at 5:17 p.m.:

The city of Oak Creek is "outraged" at the violence that took place earlier today, Mayor Steve Scaffidi is saying, and he expresses deep sadness regarding the tragedy.

Update at 5:10 p.m. ET:

The press conference by law enforcement has started.

Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards confirms that seven people have died and three have been injured.

The officer injured is undergoing surgery and expected to recover, he says. Another officer did exchange shots with the suspect and that engagement resulted in the shooter being hit, Edwards said.

"It stopped a tragic event that could have been a lot worse," Edwards said.

Authorities are treating this as a domestic terrorism incident. The FBI, ATF, district attorney and local sheriff's office are involved, according to Edwards.

They will hold another press conference most likely at 10 a.m. local time Monday, he said.

Update at 4:52 p.m. ET:

CNN reporter Ted Rowlands indicates a "significant presence of officers" is gathering at a wooded area not far from the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis.

Meantime, a press conference that had been scheduled by law enforcement for 4:30 p.m. ET has been postponed, CNN reports.

Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where the injured police officer and two others of the injured had been taken, plans a 5 p.m. ET press conference.

Update at 4:41 p.m. ET:

The White House has issued a statement regarding the shooting at the Sikh temple, as USA Today's Aamer Madhani writes in The Oval:

"Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn of the shooting that tragically took so many lives in Wisconsin," read the statement issued by President Obama. "At this difficult time, the people of Oak Creek must know that the American people have them in our thoughts and prayers, and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who were killed and wounded. My Administration will provide whatever support is necessary to the officials who are responding to this tragic shooting and moving forward with an investigation. As we mourn this loss which took place at a house of worship, we are reminded how much our country has been enriched by Sikhs, who are a part of our broader American family."

Update at 4:14 p.m. ET:

Police have finished sweeps inside the Sikh Temple to make certain there was not a second shooter and they are now making sweeps of cars outside, CNN is reporting. One of the reasons they are studying the vehicles is to see if they can find the vehicle the shooter used to reach the scene, if that is how he traveled, according to CNN.

President Obama, who initially received word on the incident from John Brennan, homeland security adviser, is continuing to receive updates, according to the White House press office.

Authorities plan to hold another update for reporters at 4:30 p.m. ET, CNN has reported.

Update at 3:30 p.m. ET:

The shooter was a white male in his 30s, Ven Boba Ri, one of the temple's committee members, tells the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

"It's pretty much a hate crime," he tells the news organization. "It's not an insider."

The incident unfolded, Ri told the Journal-Sentinel, after the shooter walked up to a priest who was standing outside and shot him. The shooter then went inside and began firing at others, according to Ri.

Police so far have not indicated any known motive.

Update at 3:18 p.m. ET:

The Indian Embassy reports that it is monitoring the situation and that it is in touch with the National Security Council over the incident, CNN is reporting. President Obama, who returned to the White House via the Marine One helicopter about 40 minutes ago, has been informed of the situation, CNN also reports.

About an hour ago, a Facebook page encouraging members of the public to pray for the victims of the Sikh temple shooting was launched.

Update at 2:45 p.m. ET:

Seven people have died in the shooting incident Sunday at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, Greenfield Police Chief Bradley Wentlandt tells reporters. One of those was the shooter, he said.

Wentlandt said that in light of the chaos of the incident, he is acting as public information officer for the Oak Creek Police Department. He called the scene "an ongoing and very fluid situation."

Four of the deceased are inside the temple and three deceased are outside, including the shooter, he said.

About 10:25 a.m. CT, Oak Creek police received multiple calls about the shooting. A 20-year law enforcement veteran arrived at the scene and exchanged multiple rounds with the officer, Wentlandt said. The officer was shot multiple times and is in surgery. His condition is not known. The shooter is "down at the scene and is presumed deceased," Wentlandt said.

Although early reports from witnesses suggested there may have been more than one shooter, Wentlandt said officers had not identified any other gunmen.

Update at 2:28 p.m. ET:

The four shot include a police officer, who is expected to survive, and the shooter, police have told TMJ4 in Milwaukee.

Members of the police SWAT team have begun removing the injured from the temple's prayer room, the Journal-Sentinel reports. Among those shot was Satwant Kaleka, president of the temple, Greenfield (Wis.) Police Chief Bradley Wentlandt told the news organization.

Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee issued a release at 12:40 p.m. local time indicating that the facility was treating three patients with gunshot wounds. All are male and all are critical, according to the Froedtert statement. One was in surgery, according to the hospital.

Original posts by Natalie DiBlasio, USA TODAY:

At least two people have been wounded in a shooting incident at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., just south of Milwaukee, local police said today.

In a brief press conference at the scene, Oak Creek police said at least one officer was shot multiple times but was "expected to survive." Police said one suspect was shot and is down. It was not clear how many other people were wounded or if there are other suspects, police said.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that a SWAT team went into the building and brought out an undetermined number of injured people. AP says there are more than a dozen ambulances parked outside the temple, and that police have corralled media and a handful of bystanders to an area near the temple.

Sikhism is a religion founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak Dev in the Punjab region of what is now Pakistan. It is among the largest organized religions in the world, with more than 20 million Sikhs worldwide.

People inside the temple are using cellphones to call people outside, asking for help, says temple committee member Ven Boba Ri, who is outside of the temple, the Journal-Sentinel reports.

Update at 2:16 p.m.: Lee Biblo, chief medical officer at Froedtert Hospital, tells CNN that the injured are all adults, all male and all in critical condition.

Update at 1:59 p.m. ET: The police cannot give a victim count or a suspect count.

A police officer on the scene says that one officer was shot multiple times and one suspect was shot and is down. A police officer will give another update at 1:30 CT.

Update at 1:51 p.m. ET: Sukhwindar Nagr says he called his brother-in-law's phone and a priest at the temple answered, telling him that his brother-in-law had been shot, along with three priests.

Nagr says the priest also said women and children were hiding in closets at the temple.

Update at 1:38 p.m. ET: There are more than a dozen ambulances parked outside the temple, and police have corralled media and a handful of bystanders to an area near the temple, AP reports.

Update at 1:25 p.m. ET: Two men have been admitted to Froedtert hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. One is in critical condition in the surgical intensive care unit; the other has been sent to an operating room, CNN reports.

Update at 1:23 p.m. ET: Fran McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department, says a call came in at 10:26 a.m. CT. She says officers are at the scene but she has no other information to report, AP reports.

Update at 1:13 p.m. ET: Two shooters are possibly still inside with children as hostages, according to someone who sent a text message to a Journal Sentinel reporter, the Journal-Sentinel reports.

CNN is reporting that the shooter is at large.

Update at 1:07 p.m. ET: Reports of 20 to 30 shot at Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, possible hostages, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports.

There are reports that the head priest was locked inside a restroom with a cell phone and said there were as many as 30 victims in temple, the Journal-Sentinel reports.

As of about noon, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said it had not been called to the scene.

Meanwhile, Brookfield police officers were dispatched to the Sikh Temple at 3675 N. Calhoun Road as a precaution in the aftermath of the Oak Creek shooting.

At least three squads were at the temple in Waukesha County.

Original post: The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinelis reporting that multiple people, an undetermined number between 8 and 20, have been injured in a shooting incident at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., just south of Milwaukee.

The shooting took place around 11 a.m. local time at the Sikh Temple, 7512 S. Howell Ave., in Oak Creek.

Oak Creek police, the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department and other law enforcement agencies have responded.

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