One dead in shooting near Columbus mosque, police say

• The gunfire occurred in the parking lot of a neighboring apartment complex as a funeral was taking place at the mosque.
• Police said the shooting was unrelated to the mosque or its attendees; federal agents are assisting with the investigation.

One person was killed in a shooting near a mosque in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, with police saying that the incident was not an attack on the house of worship or those attending a funeral there.

The Columbus Division of Police initially said shots were reportedly fired by an undetermined number of individuals after funeral attendees exited Alrahma Mosque, located at 2226 Albert Avenue.

Authorities subsequently clarified that the shooting took place in the parking lot of an adjacent apartment complex and was unrelated to the mosque or the event taking place inside, according to The Associated Press.

“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 said, emphasizing that the shooting was not directed at the mosque itself.

Police confirmed one fatality. Earlier reports of a possible second victim had not been confirmed in the department's initial update.

Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting local authorities with the investigation. Police have not established a motive or publicly identified those involved in the information released so far.

Gun violence in the United States

The shooting comes amid the continuing toll of firearm violence in the United States, where tens of thousands of people die from gunshot injuries each year.

The shooting comes amid a persistent toll from gun violence in the United States. The Gun Violence Archive recorded 408 mass shootings in 2025, resulting in 395 deaths and 1,867 injuries, using a definition that counts incidents in which at least four people are shot, excluding the perpetrator.