First look inside Sikh temple that saw mass shooting

August 9, 2012 (CHICAGO)

Four people were shot dead inside the temple and two outside before the intruder was stopped by police and then killed himself.

The bloodshed is in the past, but the pictures we have tell a story of heartache left behind.

Dark clouds hung over the temple Thursday, and a steady drizzle fell on worshippers as they returned to the scene of mayhem and agony.

Shooter Wade Page, 40, had a 9 millimeter pistol in his hand, a gun already hot from being fired in the parking lot where he had cut down two people and they lay dead.

Page burst into the main room, where dozens of Sikh faithful had gathered on a bright Sunday morning. On Thursday, they worked with power washers, squeegees and brooms as if to scrub away the despair.

When Page began the assault, two youngsters - brothers and sisters playing nearby - heard the gunshots and ran into the building to warn worshippers of the coming danger.

In the two most telling photos the I-Team has Thursday night: a small pantry where 16 Sikh community members hid during the rampage, following the children's' urging. They removed themselves from the line of fire, waiting two hours until they knew it was all clear.

Finally, a photo showing a bullet hole in a door frame that Sikh community leaders want to keep as a remembrance of the terror that happened here and a memorial to their six friends who could not make it to the closet.

Thousands of people from across the country are expected for Friday morning's visitation and memorial at the Oak Creek High School. Some mourners are arriving from Canada, Great Britain and India. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder among those scheduled to speak.

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