Sikh Temple Response, Lessons Learned
- Keynote
- the Commons
- September 6 2025 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
August 5th, 2012. Oak Creek, WI – Sikh Temple. A man killed six in the temple (A 7th died in 2020 after never recovering).
Suveg Singh Khattra, 84 • Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65 • Ranjit Singh, 49 • Sita Singh, 41 • Paramjit Kaur, 41 • Prakash Singh, 39 • Punjab Singh, 72
Sam was involved and named as a principal in two homicide investigations regarding officer-involved police shootings: Dale Messing on May 28, 1991 and the Sikh Temple Active Shooter Incident on August 5, 2012. In both case reviews, officers’ actions were found to be justified and privileged in accordance with Wisconsin statues. As a result of the decisions and actions Sam Lenda took during the Sikh Temple shooting, he was awarded numerous State of Wisconsin and local commendations. He was also honored to be recognized by the U.S. Congress with the bestowal of the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, the highest national award for valor by a public safety officer.
See the news story here: https://www.fox6now.com/news/ofc-sam-lenda-shares-his-perspective-on-sikh-temple-shooting
