Nine-year-old Odai Shanah recounted witnessing Monday's deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where he and dozens of other children huddled in classrooms during the attack.
Key Takeaways
Nine-year-old Odai Shanah described witnessing Monday’s deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where he saw bodies and hid in a closet during the attack. Three adults affiliated with the mosque were killed, along with two teen attackers who took their own lives. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
Shanah told Reuters that he heard a barrage of gunshots coming from outside the mosque complex, which also houses an Islamic day school. He described being quickly ushered into a closet with his classmates as 12 to 16 more shots rang out.
Police reported three adults affiliated with the Islamic Center were killed during the attack, including a security guard credited with preventing greater bloodshed. Two attackers, aged 17 and 18, also died in the shooting after taking their own lives several blocks away from the mosque.
The incident is being investigated as a hate crime, according to San Diego police chief Scott Wahl. Shanah's account highlights how youths in the US are disproportionately affected by gun violence, which remains the leading cause of death for teenagers and younger children in the country.
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