Shooting in a neighborhood near a mosque in Ohio’s capital city. Photo credit: AP
Officers received multiple calls reporting gunshots at around 2:11 pm (local time) on Albert Avenue, northeast of downtown Columbus, according to the Columbus division of Police. This comes after an attempted mass shooting targeting Indian Americans was reportedly foiled at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois on October 15. A 19-year-old suspect, Alexandros Paporakis, was arrested over allegations of making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing a weapon in connection with the alleged plot.
Authorities have not released further details about the victim, the individuals involved or the circumstances that led to the shooting.
Police said the shooting occurred at a nearby apartment complex and was not an attack on the mosque or those inside it. “At the mosque, unfortunately, there was an event going on that had nothing to do with what was going on outside,” police Sergeant James Fuqua told news agency AP. The ATF’s Columbus Field Division said in a post on X that its special agents were responding to the incident and assisting the Columbus Division of Police. The mosque was not targeted, and the shooting followed a dispute at a nearby apartment complex, police said.
One person was killed in a shooting near the Alrahma Mosque in northeast Columbus, Ohio, on Monday (local time), prompting the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to assist local police in the investigation.
“One individual has been confirmed deceased. Earlier reports of a possible second victim have not been confirmed at this time,” the ATF said.