MILWAUKEE -- The man who killed six
Sikh worshippers at a Wisconsin temple before fatally shooting himself
had a history of alcohol problems and underwent a noticeable personality
change in the preceding year, according to an investigative report
released Tuesday.
Wade Michael Page's sister told investigators he
had a bloated appearance that made her wonder if he had been drinking
recently, the report said. Kimberly Van Buskirk also said she noticed
her brother become more intense over the past year, as if he had lost
his wit and sense of humor. He took everything literally, she said.
Page,
40, opened fire Aug. 5 before a service was to start at the Sikh Temple
of Wisconsin in suburban Milwaukee. He killed six people and wounded
four others before he was shot in the abdomen during a firefight with
police. He died after he shot himself in the head.
The Milwaukee County medical examiner's office, which released the
investigative report, officially ruled his death a suicide.
Page's
sister told authorities her brother didn't use drugs but had a history
of alcohol problems. She did not immediately return a phone message left
Tuesday by The Associated Press.
Online court records show Page
had a history of drunken driving and a 1994 arrest in Texas after Page
got drunk and kicked holes in the wall of a bar.
Toxicology reports, which would show whether he had drugs or alcohol in his system during the shooting spree, are still pending.
Oak
Creek Police Chief John Edwards, whose officers responded to the
shooting, said it would be an "excuse" to blame alcohol for what Page
did. Many people drink alcohol, but they don't commit murder, he said.
"He
has those thoughts, and they're there. The alcohol didn't cause that,"
Edwards said. "So whether he had that or not, I don't think that's the
cause or the root of it."
The FBI and local authorities are still
trying to piece together Page's motive in the attack. He had ties to
white supremacy groups, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center
civil rights group, and had recently broken up with his girlfriend.
In
the days after the shooting, there was speculation that Page targeted
Sikhs because he mistook them for Muslims because of their beards and
turbans. Edwards said Tuesday he didn't think Page was targeting Sikhs
or Muslims, but he declined to explain why, citing the ongoing
investigation.
"There's been no specific group he was after or
disliked more than the other," Edwards said. "It was a group that was
different from him. ... It's a person with hate."
Edwards joined
Oak Creek's mayor and fire chief at a lunch meeting where they discussed
the emergency response to the shooting rampage. Edwards said there was
initial confusion because of language difficulties - dispatchers thought
the Sikhs were reporting "fighting" when they were actually saying
"firing," in reference to gunfire.
One temple member asked why
police took more than 12 hours to release the victims' identities, while
their relatives agonized in uncertainty. Edwards said police had
limited options.
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