Police say Monday’s fatal shooting outside a Columbus, Ohio, mosque was not an attack on the building and was unrelated to the incident.
A Columbus police officer said an incident was taking place near the mosque in which one person was killed.
“We want to make it clear that this was not an attack on a mosque,” said Sgt. James Fuqua said one person died in the shooting.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives posted on social media earlier Monday that agents were responding to reports of a shooting at a mosque northeast of downtown Columbus. In addition to a mosque, the area also includes a cluster of two-story apartment complexes.
Police, community officials and the mosque did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking further information.