One person was killed and a second was wounded in a shooting Monday afternoon at an apartment complex in northeast Columbus, next to a mosque — and police moved quickly to make one point unmistakable: the mosque was not the target.
Dispatchers received multiple calls about gunfire in the 2200 block of Albert Avenue, near Westerville Road, at about 2:11 p.m., according to Columbus police. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:19 p.m. Officers found a second victim shortly afterward; police had not released either person's name or the second victim's condition as of Monday evening.
"It's super important that I make it clear that this shooting had nothing to do with an attack on the mosque itself."
"We want to make it clear this was not an attack on the mosque," Sgt. James Fuqua told reporters at a news conference near the scene. Police said several people were involved in a fight at the apartment complex when shots were fired, and witnesses in the area reported hearing multiple gunshots. Investigators said they had no reason to believe the shooting was religiously motivated.
The confusion began with the location. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said early Monday in a post on X that its agents were responding to a reported shooting at a mosque in the 2200 block of Albert Avenue, and ATF agents did respond alongside Columbus police. An event was underway inside the Alrahma Mosque at the time, and shots were fired as some attendees were exiting — but police stressed the event had nothing to do with what happened outside, and the gunfire was at the neighboring apartment complex.
A large section of Albert Avenue was cordoned off with crime scene tape as investigators worked. The neighborhood, northeast of downtown Columbus, is a cluster of two-story apartment buildings alongside the mosque. No suspects or motive have been released, and the investigation is ongoing.
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