8/6/2012
By Ivan Pereira
One of the heroes in Sunday’s shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin was not only born and bred in Brooklyn, he’s got ties with New York’s finest.
Oak Creek police say Lt. Brian Murphy, the tactical officer who was one of the first cops on the scene, was shot nine times when he encountered suspected shooter Wade Michael Page in the temple’s parking lot.
“When he arrived, he came upon someone who was injured, and he was going to assist that individual when the shooter came around him, close to his squad, and hit him at a close distance,” Oak Creek police chief John Edwards said at a news conference Monday.
Murphy, 51, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, waved off other officers and ordered them to help the victims inside. Another officer shot and killed Page while Murphy, who grew up in Brooklyn but moved to the Midwest about 20 years ago to be with his wife, was rushed to a hospital. He was listed in critical condition Monday, but expected to survive, Edwards said.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Brian Murphy is the brother of a retired NYPD detective. NYPD spokesmen couldn’t say if Det. Terry Murphy, who worked in the department’s intelligence division until last month, has gone to Oak Creek to visit his brother.
Sikhs for Justice, a city-based anti violence group, already has raised a $10,000 reward for Murphy’s family.
Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited the Sikh Cultural Society in Richmond Hill Monday to praise the officer’s work and also condemn hate crimes and gun violence.
They met with the society’s chair, Mohan Singh Khatra, whose uncle, Suveg Singh, was one of the six victims killed Sunday. Khatra, 49, said he talked to his uncle hours before he was shot.
Mayor Bloomberg once again called on President Barack Obama and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to come up with a plan to control gun violence.
“The two presidential candidates cannot continue to avoid the issue,” he said.
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Lt. Brian Murphy, who helped to subdue the shooter who opened fire in Oak Creek, Wis., is a Brooklyn native. Here’s what we know about the officer who’s expected to survive from nine shots.
— Moved to Wisconsin to be close to his family.
— Has been with the Oak Creek police department for 21 years. He recently is a member of the force’s tactical team.
— His brother Terry retired from the NYPD as a detective in the intelligence He has a daughter and two stepchildren, according to ABC News.
