COLUMBUS | 1 Dead in Shooting Near Northeast Columbus Mosque

Author: FFP Ai Bot

Update (7:35 p.m. ET, Oct. 19): The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) thanked law enforcement for responding quickly and for confirming the shooting was not an attack aimed at the mosque. CAIR-Ohio said its staff went to the scene to support the local community. As of this update, police still had not identified the person killed, released a suspect description, or announced an arrest.

Update (7:10 p.m. ET, Oct. 19): Columbus police are now searching for a suspect, who Sgt. James Fuqua said is believed to be armed and dangerous, WBNS 10TV reported. Police did not release a description. The person killed is believed to be an adult man. Fuqua also said the ATF agents who responded were Columbus police officers who also work with the ATF and happened to be nearby for an unrelated reason, not agents specifically called to the scene. Anyone with information is asked to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730.

Update (6:40 p.m. ET, Oct. 19): The ATF now says earlier reports of a possible second victim “have not been confirmed at this time,” WBNS 10TV reported. In an updated statement posted on X, the ATF’s Columbus office said preliminary information indicates funeral attendees had come out of the Alrahma Mosque, at 2226 Albert Avenue, when shots were reportedly fired by an undetermined number of people. No victims have been identified and no arrests have been announced.

COLUMBUS — One person was killed in a shooting Monday afternoon, Oct. 19, at an apartment complex in northeast Columbus near a mosque. Police initially said a second victim was found, but the ATF later said that report has not been confirmed. Police stressed that the mosque was not the target.

Dispatchers got multiple calls about gunfire in the 2200 block of Albert Avenue, near Westerville Road, at about 2:11 p.m., Columbus police public relations specialist Nicole Jaros told WSYX ABC 6. One victim, believed to be an adult man, was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:19 p.m. Jaros said officers located a second victim shortly afterward, but the ATF later said in a statement that earlier reports of a potential second victim “have not been confirmed at this time,” according to 10TV. The person who died had not been identified as of Monday evening.

Police said several people were involved in a fight at the apartment complex when shots were fired. Witnesses in the area reported hearing multiple gunshots, according to WSYX. The neighborhood includes a cluster of two-story apartment buildings as well as the mosque, AP reported.

The location is near the Alrahma Mosque, WBNS 10TV reported. In an updated statement on X, the ATF’s Columbus office said preliminary information indicates funeral attendees had exited the mosque, located at 2226 Albert Avenue, when shots were reportedly fired by an undetermined number of individuals. Earlier Monday, the federal 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, The Associated Press reported. Fuqua later clarified that those agents were Columbus police officers who also work with the ATF and were nearby for an unrelated reason, according to 10TV.

At a news conference near the scene, Columbus police Sgt. James Fuqua said the shooting “was not an attack on the mosque.” He said people were attending a funeral inside the mosque at the time, and that the event had nothing to do with what happened outside. “It’s super important that I make it clear that this shooting had nothing to do with an attack on the mosque itself,” Fuqua said, according to AP.

Police said they had no reason to believe the shooting was religiously motivated or targeted at the mosque, and that it appeared to come from an altercation outside. ATF agents are assisting Columbus police with the investigation, the agency confirmed to 10TV.

In a statement Monday evening, CAIR Central Ohio Executive Director Khalid Turaani said: “We thank law enforcement for quickly responding to the incident, confirming that the shooting was not an attack aimed at the mosque, and reassuring the Columbus Muslims that there is no indication of a threat to the community. We extend our condolences to the families of those impacted by this shooting. Although we are relieved to learn this was not an incident of hate, we encourage mosques to continue assessing their security precautions, both on and near their properties, and to swiftly report any potential threats.”

No arrests had been announced as of Monday evening. Police said they are searching for a suspect who is believed to be armed and dangerous, but they had not released a description. A large section of Albert Avenue was closed with crime scene tape while investigators worked, and police described the area as an active scene. Neither the police, the ATF, neighborhood officials nor the mosque immediately returned AP’s phone messages seeking more information.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or contact the Columbus Division of Police. FFP will update this story as police release more information.

Video: WBNS 10TV via YouTube

Sources:
https://www.13abc.com/2026/10/19/federal-agents-respond-reported-shooting-mosque-columbus-ohio-officials-say/
https://apnews.com/article/mosque-shooting-columbus-ohio-b8bdc95faac71fe4df096954ef033bce
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/northeast-columbus-fatal-shooting-mosque/530-a2839f81-41e0-43a2-a1c2-0b76ee6285d2
https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/police-one-person-dead-second-victim-found-after-north-linden-shooting-albert-avenue-shooting-update-cops-details-now-today-monday-crime-gun
https://x.com/ATFColumbus/status/2112280087215153632
https://www.cair.com/cair_in_the_news/cair-oh-thanks-law-enforcement-for-quickly-responding-to-shooting-near-columbus-mosque-and-confirming-no-threat-to-community/
https://www.columbus.gov/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUS0cS2nToo