Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards, officer Savan Lenda, Mayor Stephen Scaffidi and U.S. Attorney James Santell today released dash-cam video from the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin shootings that took place Aug. 5.
The video, taken from Lt. Brian Murphy's and Lenda's vehicles, shows Murphy's arrival, his immediate care of the victims - whose images are blurred - and his contact with gunman Wade Michael Page.
It shows that Murphy was able to fire a round at Page before he was taken down. The video then cuts to Lenda's vehicle as it enters the temple parking lot, stops and backs up.
"I've got a man in the parking lot with a gun," Lenda says in the video. Lenda's windshield is then hit by a bullet. Lenda returns six shots, and Page falls to the ground. One extra shot, believed by the FBI to be the fatal self-inflicted shot, is heard.
Santell confirmed that the FBI's investigation showed Lenda's headrest was hit by the bullet that struck his vehicle.
Lenda had gotten out of the vehicle moments before the bullet went through the windshield.
According to the video and to Edwards, Lenda's intervention in the incident saved Murphy's life. Page had Murphy on the ground and was shooting him when Lenda pulled into the parking lot.
"I'm looking forward to getting back to work," Lenda said. He has won multiple awards and was on the Oak Creek team when they won silver and gold for rifle work in the Police Olympics.
Edwards said: "As we honor the members of our department and the acts that they did, we have to remember that it was a tragic event and people were lost on that day. Our sympathy still goes out to their families."
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