Suspicious Man Detained at Oak Creek Sikh Temple

Officers found ammunition in the man's vehicle and "strange" writings about the Aurora, Colorado mass shooting in his backpack, according to an Oak Creek police report.

OAK CREEK, WI -- A man found with ammunition in his vehicle and "strange" writings about the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado was detained Sunday morning outside the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. A police officer saw the man, a 32-year-old from Maryland, enter the temple about 8:40 a.m., according to an Oak Creek police report. He initially told the officer he drove to the temple wanting to pray with temple members after watching a story about the Aug. 5 shootings, when six were killed and four wounded by white supremacist Wade Michael Page. The man later told police he was writing a book and wanted to talk to members. Officers searched his backpack and found a large amount of zip ties, a roll of duct tape, "strange" writings about the July …

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Brookfield Shooting An Unwelcome Flashback For Sikh Temple Members

Seventy-seven days after the attack at the Oak Creek Sikh temple, some temple members traveled to Brookfield Sunday to help console victims of the shooting at the Azana Spa.

For Oak Creek Sikh temple members, the events Sunday at Azana Spa in Brookfield were too reminiscent of Aug. 5. A beautiful, sunny Sunday morning. A lone gunman full of rage killing innocent people before taking his own life. A community overwhelmed by shock and fear. "It was a sickening feeling that something like that was happening," temple member Gurmukh Singh said. Radcliffe Haughton opened fire inside the spa just after 11 a.m. Sunday, killing three and injuring four. Police say the incident was related to domestic violence with Haughton's estranged wife. Singh and Pardeep Kaleka, who lost his father in the Aug. 5 attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, traveled to Brookfield Sunday afternoon to counsel victims' family members as part…

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Benefit Raises More Than $4K For Shooting Victims

About 250 people attended a Sept. 29 dinner at the Oak Creek Community Center to raise money for victims of the Aug. 5 shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.

A Sept. 29 benefit dinner for Sikh temple shooting victims and police Lt. Brian Murphy brought in 250 people and $4,700 in donations, the Oak Creek Community Center announced Thursday. The donations will be split evenly between funds established for Murphy and the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. The event, "A Community United," featured a chicken dinner and raffles and came together with the support of several local businesses. Members of the Sikh temple and the Oak Creek Police Department were there helping staff the event. It was held less than two months after the attack at the Sikh temple, which left six people dead and four wounded. Murphy was the first officer to respond to the scene and survived despite being shot 15 times.

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Indian Dignitaries to Meet with Sikh Temple Shooting Survivors

Three dignitaries from India will meet with survivors of Sikh Temple shooting.

Dinner Raises Money For Temple Shooting Victims, Lt. Murphy

More than 200 people attended a fundraiser at the Oak Creek Community Center for the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and injured police officer Brian Murphy.

More than 200 people filed into the Oak Creek Community Center on Saturday for a dinner benefiting the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and injured police Lt. Brian Murphy. "A Community United" featured a chicken dinner and raffles and came together with the support of several local businesses. Members of the Sikh temple and the Oak Creek Police Department were there as well helping staff the event. The amount of money raised will be known Tuesday, Community Center Director Rich Duchniak said. Proceeds will be split between funds benefiting the temple and Murphy's family. Murphy was shot 15 times during the Aug. 5 attack at the gurdwara, where a lone gunman killed six temple members. The fundraiser was one of two events Saturday in Oak Creek that …

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High School Garden a Tribue to Shooting Victims, Diversity

Organizers say a prairie flower garden, dedicated Saturday outside Oak Creek High School, symbolizes the strength of diversity.

The beautiful, sunny, peaceful Saturday morning in Oak Creek made it hard not to think back to how the morning of Aug. 5 started. On that day, a gunman with white supremacist ties destroyed the tranquility with a rampage at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin that left six people dead and four others wounded. Saturday, however, peace carried the day. Oak Creek High School students, teachers and members of the Sikh temple planted and dedicated a prairie-flower garden outside the school Saturday that serves to honor those victims and promote unity and tolerance in the community. Dave Timmer, a social worker in the school district who organized the plantings and ceremony, said he was looking out at a prairie garden on Aug. 5 when he heard news of …

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Benefit Saturday For Sikh Temple, Lt. Murphy

A dinner is planned at the Oak Creek Community Center to benefit victims of the Aug. 5 shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.

After the shocking Aug. 5 shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, many business leaders called the Oak Creek Community Center wondering what they could do to help. The facility, after all, has long been known for its ability to coordinate large fundraisers, and "strengthening community" is directly in its mission statement. So after a few weeks passed and things started to settle, Community Center Director Rich Duchniak started contacting those businesses and organizations that reached out to him the week of the shootings. After numerous conversations, the idea of a community fundraiser was hatched. "A Community United," a benefit to support the Oak Creek Sikh temple and injured police officer Brian Murphy, will be held from 4 to 8 p.m…

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Full House Learns About Sikh, Other Faiths

'Know Your Neighbors: Exploring Our Diverse Faiths' showcased the Milwaukee area's diverse mix of religious beliefs.

Nobody could learn everything they need to know about a religion in eight minutes or less. But an event Monday night at the Oak Creek Community United Methodist Church gave those who attended a better understanding of their neighbors and the wide range of beliefs in the Milwaukee area. "Know Your Neighbors: Exploring Our Diverse Faiths" was held seven weeks after white supremacist Wade Michael Page killed six members of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. The event was put on by the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, which later presented the Sikh temple with a donation of $5,558. Organizers said the community needs to move into and beyond tolerance to understanding and friendship, and Monday's meeting showed that despite all their …

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Islamic Group to Honor Sikh Temple

The Council on American-Islamic Relations will award the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin the 2012 Solidarity Award, given to the temple for its "friendship and solidarity with the American Muslim community."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations will honor the Oak Creek Sikh temple at a banquet Saturday. A representative from the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin will be on hand to accept the 2012 Solidarity Award, given to the temple for its "friendship and solidarity with the American Muslim community." CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad visited the temple following the Aug. 5 shootings that left six dead and four wounded. The shootings came a day before a mosque in Missouri burned to the ground. "With so many communities being targeted by hatred and violence, there is a critical need for a national dialogue to discuss the growing intolerance in our society," Awad said in an Aug. 13 news release. Also on Saturday, the Oak Creek Community Center …

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High School Garden Planting Moved to Sept. 29

Garden will honor those who lost their lives during the Sikh temple attack and promote the value of diversity within the school and community.

A garden planting at Oak Creek High School that will honor those who lost their lives during the shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin has been pushed back to Sept. 29. The garden will include a plaque and native prairie flower plantings to symbolize students' efforts to "cultivate unity and racial tolerance necessary for a healthier community." The planting will be held at 9 a.m. with a celebration scheduled for noon. The event was originally planned for Sept. 22 but had to be moved due to logistical issues, Superintendent Sara Burmeister said. The high school played a prominent role in the aftermath of the Aug. 5 Sikh temple shootings, hosting the funeral for the six victims and a community-wide meeting about how to move forward. …

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