Washington, DC – Less than two weeks after a massacre at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, another shooting death of a Sikh American in Milwaukee, Wisconsin saddened the community and sent organizations on Friday demanding action from law enforcement agencies.
Nirupama Rao, the Indian Ambassador to the United States, in a tweet on August 16 said, “Dalbir Singh, age 56, killed in food store robbery attempt at W Locust St, Milwaukee on Aug 15 night. Our CG (Consul General) in Chicago obtaining details.”
In a statement, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) said it was “saddened to learn of the shooting death of Dalbir Singh in Milwaukee, Wisconsin late Wednesday night. This terrible incident follows just ten days after the tragic shooting at the Oak Creek Gurdwara that left six dead and several wounded.
“A Lieutenant from MPD (Milwaukee Police Department) also stated that while this is an ongoing investigation, there is currently no evidence to indicate that this crime was motivated by anything other than a desire to obtain money from the victims,” SALDEF said.
SALDEF quoted the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, James Santelle, as assuring the community that his office and law enforcement “will look at this case critically and ensure that the motive of this crime is thoroughly investigated.”
With the shooting death coming within ten days of the mass shooting at the gurdwara, the community was not ruling out the possibility that this crime also might have been motivated by religious or racial bias.
SALDEF in its statement noted that the organization on Thursday evening spoke with the MPD and learned that they have “people of interest” in custody at this time.
The reports indicated that Dalbir Singh was shot and killed during an attempted armed robbery at his store. He was part of the Oak Creek Sangat (Sikh religious community), but was not present at the gurdwara during the shooting that occurred on August 5, 2012.
“Dalbir Singh was a practicing Sikh who used to visit the gurdwara at Oak Creek almost every day, where on August 5th, a white supremacist, Wade Michael Page, opened fire and killed six Sikhs and one critically wounded. On that fatal day, Dalbir didn’t visit the Gurdwara, but fate had something else in works that has shocked the community once again,” Harcharn Singh Gill was quoted as saying by United Sikhs, another organization with a commitment to civic service and social progress. (IATNS)