One person was killed in a shooting near Alrahma Mosque in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, October 19, 2026. Police said the gunfire occurred in the parking lot of a neighboring apartment complex and was not an attack on the mosque or the people attending an event inside.
Officers responded to reports of gunshots shortly after 2 p.m. in the 2200 block of Albert Avenue on the city's Northeast Side. The shooting prompted a response from the Columbus Division of Police and federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Authorities initially received reports describing the incident as a shooting at a mosque. Investigators later clarified that the violence happened outside the religious building and was unrelated to its activities.
Police Confirm One Death Near Apartment Complex
Columbus police received multiple reports of gunfire around 2:10 p.m. Monday in the neighborhood near Westerville Road.
The shooting occurred in a parking lot serving an apartment complex next to Alrahma Mosque, which is located at 2205 Albert Avenue. The surrounding area includes several two-story residential buildings.
Emergency responders found one person who had been shot. Columbus Division of Fire personnel pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Local television station WHIO, citing its news partner WBNS, reported that investigators located a second victim. Authorities had not released that person's condition in the initial reports.
Police did not immediately identify the person killed or disclose the age or identity of anyone else involved. Details about possible suspects and the circumstances leading to the gunfire also remained limited.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that the shooting happened a few hundred feet from the mosque while a funeral was taking place nearby.
Investigators had not publicly established whether the shooting resulted from an argument, an ongoing dispute or some other circumstance.
Authorities Say Mosque Was Not Targeted
The location initially raised concerns that the shooting might have been directed at a Muslim place of worship.
However, Columbus police Sergeant James Fuqua told reporters that investigators had found no connection between the shooting and the activities occurring inside the mosque.
"We want to make it clear this was not an attack on the mosque," Fuqua said.
He explained that an event was taking place inside the religious building when the shooting occurred outside. Police did not believe the event or its participants were the intended targets.
The Associated Press reported that Fuqua emphasized the importance of distinguishing the shooting at the apartment complex from an attack on the mosque itself.
That clarification became particularly important after early public statements described federal agents responding to a shooting at a mosque.
The initial description identified the general area where the incident occurred but did not establish whether worshippers or the religious building had been attacked.
Police later provided a more precise account of the location and circumstances.
Federal Agents Respond to Initial Reports
The ATF's Columbus Field Division announced Monday afternoon that special agents were responding to a reported shooting involving the mosque on Albert Avenue.
Federal agents joined local authorities as the investigation developed. Their presence drew additional attention to the incident because of the religious building's proximity to the scene.
An ATF spokesperson told CBS News that preliminary information indicated people were leaving a funeral at the mosque around the time of the shooting.
The agency said its agents were assisting Columbus police with the investigation.
Federal participation does not necessarily mean authorities believe a federal crime occurred. The ATF routinely supports local agencies in investigations involving firearms and can provide technical assistance when requested.
Police remained responsible for determining what led to the shooting, identifying those involved and establishing whether criminal charges were warranted.
No federal charges or findings identifying the shooting as an attack on a religious institution had been announced in the initial reporting.
Funeral Taking Place as Gunfire Erupted
The shooting occurred during a period when people were gathered at or near the mosque for a funeral, according to local reporting and preliminary information provided to CBS News.
The proximity of the gathering to the apartment complex added to the confusion surrounding the initial reports.
People responding to the sound of gunfire and arriving emergency vehicles would have encountered police activity in a neighborhood containing both residences and the religious center.
The Columbus Dispatch identified Alrahma Mosque as the nearby house of worship and confirmed that emergency personnel responded to the surrounding block.
Police emphasized that the individuals involved in the event inside the mosque were not connected to the shooting.
Authorities did not immediately provide a detailed account of what occurred before the gunfire or whether anyone attending the funeral witnessed the incident.
Those questions remain important to investigators attempting to establish the sequence of events.
Investigation Continues Into Fatal Shooting
The Columbus Division of Police is investigating the death and working to determine who fired the shots.
As of Monday evening, authorities had not publicly identified a suspect, announced an arrest or established a confirmed motive.
The reported discovery of a second victim also left questions about whether another person had suffered injuries and how that person was connected to the incident.
Investigators may rely on witness accounts, physical evidence and available surveillance footage to reconstruct the shooting. Police had not disclosed specific findings from those efforts.
Officials also had not announced whether the incident involved a dispute among residents or visitors to the apartment complex.
The case drew attention because of its location beside a mosque, but investigators stressed that proximity alone did not make the shooting a religiously motivated attack.
For the neighborhood, the immediate concern is the loss of life and the continuing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the gunfire.
Columbus police and federal agents are continuing their work as authorities seek to identify those responsible. The victim's identity, the condition of the second reported victim and the motive behind the shooting remained unresolved in the initial public accounts.