Wade Michael Page, the man accused of killing six people at a Sikh temple outside Milwaukee before being killed in a shootout with police, had a history of problems with alcohol, causing him to lose his military position and his recent job as a truck driver.
Page was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1998 after serving for 6 years, because he had been found drunk during military exercises, according to law enforcement authorities. The 40-year-old was later convicted of driving under the influence a year later in Colorado. Wade also had a hard time keeping any job due to his drinking problem - he was fired from his truck driving job after he was stopped by highway police for a DUI, a truck company confirmed Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
After losing his job, Page ran into financial trouble. Public records show that his home, in a rural part of Fayetteville, N.C., was foreclosed on in January. Page had bought the house for $165,000 in 2007, refinanced his mortgage two years later and had fallen far behind in payments.
According to Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization, Page was a member of two skinhead bands - including one called Definite Hate. Page frequently posted on Internet forums for skinheads and repeatedly exhorted members to take more decisive action to support their cause. Between March 2010 and the middle of this year, Page posted 250 messages on one skinhead site and appeared eager to recruit others.
Page critically wounded three and killed six worshipers during the Sunday service. Police and the FBI haven't revealed a possible motive in the Sunday morning rampage that shocked Oak Creek. Page was shot dead by police officers as he escaped the Skih temple.
Law enforcement officials said they are treating the case as an "act of domestic terrorism," police said, and the FBI is leading the investigation. The names of the victims in Sunday's shooting were not released.
