the shooter who brought death and horror to a sikh temple in wisconsin was a u.s. army veteran discharged more than a decade ago for misconduct. authorities say the gunman may have had ties to white supremacists, and neighbors say he played in a far right wing punk band. we're learning more about how the shocking rampage left six victims and the gunman dead. brian todd is joining us from oak creek, wisconsin, right outside milwaukee. brian, what's the very latest? >> reporter: wolf, we have important new information. we have names of those who played pivotal rolls in the event and new details on the shooter's past at the temple. >> she can't escape it. an indelible moment of horror. she says she was among the first to see the shooter as he started his ram pain at the sikh temple of wisconsin. she says she was parking her car when she saw the suspect. now identified as wade michael page, approach the lead priest near the entrance. >> did he say anything to the priest? >> no, no. he was quiet. i didn't see, you know like nothing. he took two steps in front of the children. he was going this way. i thought maybe they were talking. they did not talk. >> the priest fell and was dead. the police chief says they got the call at 10:20 a.m. local time. the first officer to arrive, now identified as lieutenant brian murphy was right in the shooter's path. >> how many times was he shot, and was it close range? >> it was very close range. he was standing down in a crouched position. and the individual walked up on him around the vehicle. and engaged him very closely. inches to a feet, and fired at him. he shot between eight and nine times. >> other officers responded, gave commands to the shooter. he ignored them, chief john edwards said, and was taken down with a police rifle. when officers tried to tend to their wounded colleague. >> he waved them off. he had been shot nine times. one very serious in the neck area, and he waved them off and told them to go into the temple to assist those in there. >> the wounded officer was carried off. a rescue operation began for the other victims. officials now say they're looking for this man who showed up after the shooting. they call him a person of interest. >> he's an individual who showed up at the scene after the shooting and was just on and and someone mentioning him to another officer. seeing him look suspicious. and so we're looking to question him. >> officials stress they believe the gunman acted alone and just wanted to talk to this other man. she needs help from her husband to reflect. >> what are your feelings just looking back on this and what you saw? it's really bad. i kon sleep. i couldn't sleep. it's a nightmare. >> as witnesses and victims deal with all this, our sources and police are giving us a mosaic of the suspect. they say wade michael page discharged from the army 14 years ago after a pattern of misconduct, may have been a white supremacist. they are still trying to put together what may have been the motive for inflicting this carnage. >> did wade michael paige have a criminal record? any prior convictions? >> we are told, wolf, he had some kind of record. as far as convictions, officials are not going there yet. they're not giving details on his contact with law enforcement. he was known to law enforcement. did have contact with law enforcement at some point. the police chief here told me law enforcement officials in this area had not had contact with him. they will really not give much more detail than that. we're led to believe he encountered law enforcement at some poi in another region of the country. >> brian todd is on the scene for us. let's check back with you. let's get more on the record of the background of the gunman who served in the u.s. military more than a decade ago and left under a cloud. chris lawrence has been looking into this part of the story for us. all right, chris. anything stand out in his military record? >> there are a couple of things, wolf, that i think the viewers will find interesting. especially as you get beyond the basics. that he got into the army around 1992 and served for about six and a half years. he was a psychological operations specialist. now that has some very classified, secretive overtones and aspects to it. but we believe that he was involved with was the basic stuff. you know, dropping leaflets in foreign countries. getting the u.s. message across. he was demoted from sergeant down to specialist and eventually given a general discharge under honorable condition. t a dishonorable discharge. like the military coming to you and saying, this isn't working out for you or us. no agreement to warrant a dishonorable discharge, wolf. >> was he ever deployed to combat? i know he served before 9/11. >> no. we checked into that as well. he served on three bases across the united states, including ft. bragg. got some basic medals. they're the ki of medals, that, you know, you show up, you do your job and receive the medals. nothing out of the ordinary. one of the men who went to school with him and served with him at ft. bragg said he did have a drinking issue. that's what got him busted down in rank and eventually led to him leaving the army. this man also says he would talk about the racial holy war and things like that. from being in the navy, people say a lot of inappropriate things, a lot of sexist things. one person said, look, especially back in the mid 90s, someone just saying this but never acting on it no overt problems with it, it's not something that's going to rise to a level where you're going to see real problems. >> chris lawrence, thank you. president obama spoke out about the wisconsin shooting rampage today, noting it's the late nest a series of violent tragedies to strike the nation. listen to this. >> first of all, we're still awaiting the outcome of a full investigation. yesterday i had the chance to speak to both the governor and the mayor as well as leaders of the sikh community. all of us are heartbroken by what's happened. myself and michelle, but also the country as a whole. i think all of us recognize that these kinds of terrible tragic events are happening with too much regularity. we need examine additional ways to reduce violence. as i've already said. we're going to bring together law enforcement, community leaders, elected officials at every level to see how we can make continued progress. >> certainly one of the world's most popular religions. but many americans are very unfamiliar with the tightly knit community in the united states. let's bring in the coed tor of cnn's very popular blog. tell us a little bit about the sikh case. what's going on with this religion? about 700,000 sikhs in the united states. 25 million worldwide. >> that's right, wolf. that makes it the fifth most popular religion in the world. they believe in one god. real important stressors in the faith are on equality and service. some of the key tenants are meditation on god, service of work and serving the community. the women in the temple were getting ready for a big community meal, which is a big part of the faith. >> and anyone with come and get a delicious meal in the process. >> as long as you're dressed moderately and ready to eej a vegetarian meal, you're more than welcome to come. there's stress that their temples are going to be open on sunday. they want everyone to participate in their service and community meals with them. >> since 9/11 there have been a lot of attacks against the sikh community and their temples across the country. what's going on? >> a lot of that comes from public displays of faith. men and women let their hair grow long. they never cut it. the men, in particular, wrap their hair in turbins. so when people went out trying to commit a hate crime against muslims, we found sikhs were the ones attacked in the united states. many muslim men here in the united states don't wear them. it's not fashionable. for sikhs it's not about fashion, it's about faith. >> how are reactions worldwide? >> we're hearing a huge outpouring. look on this weekend, this sunday, a lot of faith communities are opening the doors saying come in, share the meal with us, learn about us. and they're a big part of the american fabric here. >> we've seen intensified security in place like new york. dan simon was reporting earlier. down on the bay, at silicon valley, they're not locking the doors at the temple. it's a big part of who they are. they're open to everyone. >> seek others -- what is the correct way of pronouncing the religion? in india it's one way. in europe it's another way. >> the word comes from india. in the united states they told me they prefer "sick." sikh works as well. >> coming up later, i'll speak with the mayor of the community that lost these individuals. he'll be joining us live. we'll get the latest on what's going on. also, other news we're following, including a list of republican convention speakers is growing, and it may offer us new clues as to who is and who isn't on mitt romney's short list of potential running mates. and stunning details of how mass gunmen slaughtered egyptian troops and then set their sights on israel. we're going live to jerusalem. and a perfect landing on mars by na nasa's road runner. this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. who dreamed she could fly. like others who braved the sky before her, it took a mighty machine, and plain old ingenuity to go where no fifth grader had gone before. ♪ and she flew and she flew, into the sky and beyond. my name is annie and i'm the girl who dreamed she could fly. powered by intel core processors. ♪ oh, just diagramming this accident with my state farm pocket agent app. you can also get a quote and pay your premium with this thing. i thought state farm didn't have all those apps? 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[ female announcer ] get the travelocity guarantee any way you book, including our new app. you'll never roam alone. all right, we're just getting this in from a spokesperson from the fbi in washington, d.c. he says the so-called special person, the person of interest discussed earlier in the day by law enforcement out in wisconsin, was sought for questioning. they have -- that person has been located, interviewed and cleared, keyword, cleared. so that person of interest no longer a person of interest. we're getting more information on all of this. i just wanted to update you on the so-called person of interest. that person has been questioned, located and cleared as a result. no more person of interest, and much more on this coming up later, including our live interview with the mayor of oak creek, wisconsin. jack cafferty is here right now. he has the cafferty file. jack? >> the shootings that killed six at a sikh temple in washington come just over two weeks after the massacre in aurora, colorado, in a movie theater. and once again it's sure to revive the debate over gun control. it seems every time something like this happens, there's a great human cry for stricter gun laws that goes up, and then it dies down just as quickly. coincidentally before yesterday's violence a group of mayors released an ad that demanded president obama and mitt romney give us a plan when it comes to gun control. that won't happen. the ad features three survivors for the 2011 tucson, arizona, shootings that killed six and wounted 13, including former congressman gabriel give fords. the issue of guns is a political hot potato that no political politician, democrat or republican wants to go near, especially in an election year. and there's a reason. a lot of americans like things just the way they are. in the aftermath of last month's colorado shootings, background checks for people wanting to buy guns spiked more than 40% in that state. and the pew research poll taken a week after the colorado shootings found very little change in americans' attitude toward gun control. other recent major deadly shootings including the one in tucson last year and virginia tech in 2007 had little affect on gun law control. two-thirds of those polled say the shootings like the one in colorado or at the sikh temple are isolated acts of troubled individuals. only one-fourth say shootings reflect broader problems in american society. so here's the question. what is it going to take for gun control laws in the country to change. go to cnn.com/cafferty file and post a comment on my blog. or go to our post on "the situation room's" facebook page. wolf? >> thanks, jack. we'll have more on this story coming up later, including a live interview with the mayor of oak creek. he'll join us with the latest on what's going on in oak creek, wisconsin. other news we're following, including political news. mitt romney is spending a quiet day in new hampshire. we've seen him do a little grocery shopping. we're also getting a clearer picture of who may be on his list for running mate. who is speaking at the republican convention. plus, ohio governor john kaskich. also including john mccain, condoleezza rice, nikki haley and susana martinez. can we presume the people we just mention rd not on romney's short list, or is that going too far? >> it's going a bit too far. but the people inside the campaign say it's a safe bet. the financial decision will be made by governor romney himself. he's at his home in new hampshire. we're told mostly down time. but several senior staff members are up there this afternoon. most top campaign insiders say they haven't heard the choice from the governor yet. he told gloria borger, i don't have anything for you on that. they expect he has posted the final decision and they believe none of the people you just mentioned will be that choice. who do they say it will be? most of the information we're getting from senior advisers are piecing together pieces of information as well. they say, here's the short list as they see it. they say the former minnesota governor, tim pawlenty, someone governor romney is comfortable with, someone who is a candidate in the republican field, he is on the list. the ohio senator is on the list as well. he served in the house before the senate and was a trade respective and budget director. he is also on the list. and you're hearing increasingly pushes from the outside but also being considered from the inside, the wisconsin congressman, the house budget committee chairman, paul ryan. that's the shortest of the short list, if you will, wolf. we talked to people close to the process. the florida senator marco rubio still comes up from time to time. we'll hear this from governor romney himself over the next several days. most people think it will come from that pennsylvania len awle ryan list. >> the two other names people keep talking about, bobby jindal, the louisiana governor, he's supposedly on the short list also. also the senator from south dakota supposedly on the short list. are they on the real short list, or not so sht? >> it depends who you talk to inside. there's no question they were on a list at some point. governor romney is talking mostly to beth meyers. she's the head of the process. people inside say those two know everything. other people pick up pieces of information through the vetting process. they're not willing to rule anybody out. even the people we say have begun speaking roles. they seem to think it's largely a pawlenty, portman, ryan contest. inside the campaign they tend to list them in that order. there are some disagreements. we have to wait and see. >> yeah. we know the conservative magazine, they basically endorsed marco rubio and paul ryan. we'll see how influential they are. they had an important role four years ago in helping select sarah palin. they endorsed her at that point. we'll see if they have that clout this time around. my own guess, john, is it could come as early as a week from today, after the olympics are all done. my own suspicion is it will be next week at some poin. obviously that's just a guess. what are you hearing? >> it's a good guess, and it's a well informed guess in the sense they make a few key points. the olympics are getting very good ratings. why would governor romney do it now? number two, he hasn't made a final decision. he wants to go through it more himself. one of his most trusted advisers happens to be his wife. she's at the olympics. she won't be back until thursday. she would like a couple days rest after the trip. because they'll have the couple's portrait. most people believe next monday, a week from today at the earliest. they say governor romney could surprise us. but inside the campaign we talk to folks with you. they say look for monday through thursday in that period next week as the most likely window. we'll be ready any day that do it. wall street is off to a good start this week. we'll have the numbers behind the optimism. also, a milestone in the quest for green energy. standby. there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. 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