A dramatic video of the tragic gurdwara shooting incident in Wisconsin was released on Tuesday in which Wade Michael Page, the white supremacist who gunned down six Sikh worshippers, is shown on the rampage. "He (Page) was on a mission and he had to be stopped," police officer Sam Lenda, who shot at Page, told reporters at a news conference in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, after the police released the portions of the video of officers responding to the August 5 shooting.
Police Lt Brian Murphy, who had stopped to tend to a victim outside the temple, is also seen being ambushed by Page in the video, as there was exchange of fire between the two. Murphy who was injured during the incident is now recovering.
"There's no question in my mind that Lt Murphy prevented the gunman from taking more lives," Lenda said. Oak Creek police chief John Edwards told reporters that Murphy was hit by 15 bullets, not nine as was reported earlier. Twelve bullets struck Murphy, and three bullets struck his bulletproof vest, Edwards said.
At the joint news conference with the police, mayor Steve Scaffidi praised the police officers and said that they handled themselves in a professional and heroic manner.
The 40-year-old Page, an ex-army veteran, went on a shooting spree killing six Sikhs on August 5 at the gurdwara, before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.
The 40-year-old Page, an ex-army veteran, went on a shooting spree killing six Sikhs on August 5 at the gurdwara, before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.