One Killed in Shooting Outside Columbus Mosque; Police Say Mosque Was Not the Target

A man or woman was killed Monday, Oct. 19, in a shooting on Albert Avenue in Columbus, Ohio. Police say it happened next to a mosque but was not an attack on it.

The victim's identity has not been released. Police have not said whether anyone is in custody.

What police have said

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Columbus first posted on X that agents were responding to a reported shooting at a mosque in the 2200 block of Albert Avenue. That block is northeast of downtown. It holds a cluster of two-story apartment buildings and the Alrahma Mosque.

The early wording drew attention. A shooting at a house of worship is a different kind of story than a shooting in a parking lot.

Columbus police corrected the picture at a hastily assembled news conference near the scene. Sgt. James Fuqua said one person was killed.

"We want to make it clear this was not an attack on the mosque," Fuqua said.

He said the shooting happened at a nearby apartment complex and stemmed from a dispute there. "At the mosque, unfortunately, there was an event going on that had nothing to do with what was going on outside," Fuqua said. "But it's super important that I make it clear that this shooting had nothing to do with an attack on the mosque itself."

A Columbus Division of Police spokesperson gave a similar account, saying the shooting took place in the parking lot of an apartment complex "adjacent to the mosque." The spokesperson said the investigation is in its preliminary stages and that the incident was "not a targeted attack on the mosque, nor did this incident occur at the mosque."

The funeral and the crowd

An ATF spokesperson told Newsweek the investigation was "in its infancy." The spokesperson said preliminary information indicated funeral attendees had left the mosque, at 2226 Albert Avenue, when shots were reportedly fired by an undetermined number of individuals.

The Columbus Dispatch, citing a photographer at the scene, reported that the shooting occurred while a funeral was underway at the mosque. Police have described the mosque event only as something that "had nothing to do with" the shooting outside.

Local TV footage showed police working to manage a crowd in the street. Funeral-goers and other community members spilled into the street, with reports of arguments and shoving.

The ATF said earlier reports of a possible second victim have not been confirmed. "One individual has been confirmed deceased," the spokesperson said.

Open questions

Police have not named a suspect, described a motive beyond the apartment-complex dispute, or said how many shooters were involved. The ATF's reference to an "undetermined number of individuals" firing shots leaves that open.

The overlap between the funeral and the shooting is also unresolved. Police say the two had nothing to do with each other. Details on whether the victim or any shooter was connected to the funeral have not been released.

The mosque, neighborhood officials and the police did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment when the first reports circulated.

The ATF said it is assisting the Columbus Division of Police and that more information will be provided as it becomes available. Police have not announced when the victim will be identified or when they will brief the public again.