A nine-year-old boy who was among dozens of children forced to take cover during a deadly shooting at a San Diego mosque described his terror as gunfire erupted outside his classroom.
Shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego
Odai Shanah, whose mother fled war-torn Gaza two decades ago, was attending school at the Bright Horizon Academy, located within the Islamic Center of San Diego, when the attack occurred on Monday. In an interview, Shanah recalled hearing a barrage of gunshots coming from outside the complex.
He and his classmates were quickly ushered into a closet, where they crowded together in fear as 12 to 16 more shots rang out. After the shooting ceased, they heard police SWAT team members shouting from outside. “OK, open up,” they said, and then opened the door, the boy recounted.
As they were escorted out by police, Shanah said he saw “a bunch of bad stuff, people laying down.” He admitted he meant the victims’ bodies. “My legs were shaking and my hands and my head were like hurting a lot. I felt like a rock,” he said.
Police Response and Victims
Police reported that three men affiliated with the Islamic Center, including a security guard who is credited with preventing further bloodshed, were shot dead outside the mosque by two teen suspects. The suspects later took their own lives several blocks away.
Shanah’s parents gave permission for him to be interviewed by name. He said he witnessed police kicking in the door of an adjacent classroom as SWAT teams advanced room to room. “They told us to put our hands up and form a big line,” he added, describing the evacuation.
Community Shock
The gunmen never entered the mosque interior, and all students were accounted for and safe, authorities said. The violence came as a particular shock to Shanah’s mother, who emigrated from Gaza in 2006 during months of clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants. His father emigrated from Jordan in 2015.
The shooting has shaken the close-knit community surrounding the Islamic Center.
