BROOKFIELD, Wisconsin, USA - One by one, barefoot mourners stepped forward to bow their heads in solemn prayer Monday for their neighbours killed in an gun attack on a Sikh temple in the US state of Wisconsin.Soulful songs echoed through the peaked-roof sanctuary where hundreds sat knee to knee, their heads covered in expertly fastened turbans and hastily tied kerchiefs offered to visitors at the door.
- Dozens more stood in the lobby to show their support even if there was no room for them to join the prayers at the Sikh Religious Society of Wisconsin - a temple just 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the scene of Sunday's bloodshed.
- "In God's sanctuary, all fears depart," a video screen offering a translation of the prayer declared.
- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker donned an orange headscarf as he stood to offer the midwestern state's condolences and prayers for the six people killed and three gravely wounded in the attack at the Oak Creek temple.
- "We join you to mourn family members and loved ones," Walker said. "And we join you to pray."
The chief federal prosecutor for the region vowed to pursue justice and find answers even though the suspected gunman - identified by police as 40-year-old army psy-ops veteran Wade Michael Page - had been shot dead by police."You can and will be safe and secure and free to worship, as all Americans should be," James Santelle said.
"We are committed as law enforcement to ensure this does not happen again."
The words of support were welcomed by Kanwarjit Singh Bajwa, a board member at the Oak Creek temple, who stood to declare that the shooting would not break the welcoming spirit of the Sikh community.
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