Shooting near Ohio mosque leaves 1 dead but was not connected to the building, police say

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A shooting in a neighborhood near a mosque in Ohio’s capital city left one person dead Monday but was not connected to the house of worship or those who were inside, police said.

Federal and local authorities descended on the area as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in a post on X that agents were responding to a report of a shooting at the mosque, northeast of downtown Columbus.

Police later said the shooting happened in the parking lot of an apartment complex next to the mosque.

“At the mosque, unfortunately, there was an event going on that had nothing to do with what was going on outside,” said Sgt. James Fuqua. "... But it’s super important that I make it clear that this shooting had nothing to do with an attack on the mosque itself.”

The ATF did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking further information.