Crime & Safety

Officers Recall Sikh Temple Shooting in First TV Interview

A CBS Evening News story on the Aug. 5 shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin includes previously-unreleased video from an Oak Creek squad car.

The CBS Evening News aired the first television interview with Oak Creek police officers Brian Murphy and Sam Lenda Tuesday night and showed newly-released footage from the Aug. 5 attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.

The new video shows the moments after Lenda shot gunman Wade Michael Page, who had just shot six temple members and wounded four others, including Murphy.

"My thought was, 'If I can't shoot him, I'm gonna run him over, but he's not leaving this parking lot and he's not getting back inside the church," Lenda said.

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"He was on a mission. I say, I confronted evil in the parking lot. And evil was not gonna leave there."

Murphy was the first officer to arrive at the scene and was shot 12 times, with three other shots hitting his bulletproof vest.

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"I went to see the neurologist about the bullet stuck in my skull. And he just looked at all my X-rays and he said, 'That's a miracle,'" Murphy said. "You can call it divine intervention. You can call it dumb luck. I'll happily take either one."

Check out Patch's special section for archived coverage and the latest news in the aftermath of the Sikh temple attack.


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