7 dead in Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting

Greenfield Police Chief Brad Wentlandt told reporters on Sunday that emergency medical personnel have reported seven people dead, four inside the temple and three outside, including the alleged attacker.

Wentlandt said that the first reports of the shooting came in about 10:30 a.m. local time (1530 GMT) and a police officer arrived at the scene and "engaged an active shooter."

The shooter is "down at the scene and is presumed deceased," he said, adding that the law enforcement agent was also shot multiple times during the confrontation and was undergoing surgery.

Witnesses described the shooter as a white male.

A spokeswoman for Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee said that the facility was treating three patients with gunshot wounds, noting that they were in critical condition.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, as many as 30 people were shot, including the president of the temple, Satwant Kaleka.

Those present at the temple were preparing for a special children's service, with a featured guest from India. The attack happened an hour before the service was to start.

Police cordoned off the street where the temple is located and asked the media to refrain from reporting on or transmitting images of police operations in the area until the situation is resolved.

Sikh rights groups have reported a rise in bias attacks since the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Washington-based Sikh Coalition has reported more than 700 incidents in the US since 9/11.

There are approximately 500,000 Sikhs in the US.