A nine years old boy who was inside the Islamic Center of San Diego during a deadly shooting on Monday has recalled the terrifying moments he and dozens of other children hid in fear as gunfire erupted outside the mosque complex.
Odai Shanah, whose mother emigrated from Gaza to Southern California nearly two decades ago, said he and his classmates were rushed into a closet after multiple shots rang out near the mosque, which also houses the Bright Horizon Academy Islamic school.
Speaking hours after the attack, Shanah said students crowded together inside the hiding place while additional gunshots echoed through the area.
“We saw a bunch of bad stuff,” the boy said as he recounted being escorted from the building by police officers after the shooting ended, referring to victims lying on the ground outside the complex.
He said members of a police SWAT team later approached the classroom and ordered those inside to come out after the area had been secured.
“My legs were trembling, and my hands and head were aching badly,” Shanah said, recalling the fear he felt during the attack
Authorities said three men associated with the Islamic Center, including a security guard praised for helping prevent further casualties, were fatally shot outside the mosque by two teenage suspects.
Police said the suspects later died from self inflicted gunshot wounds several blocks away from the scene.
Investigators confirmed that the attackers never entered the interior section of the mosque complex, and all students attending the school were safely evacuated.
Shanah also recalled seeing police officers move through nearby classrooms as tactical teams cleared the building room by room before leading students outside in organized lines.
The attack has deeply shaken the close knit Muslim community in Southern California, particularly families connected to the mosque and school.
For Shanah’s family, the violence carried an added emotional weight. His mother fled conflict in Gaza in 2006 before settling in the United States, while his father later emigrated from Jordan in 2015.
Authorities say investigations into the shooting remain ongoing as community members mourn the victims and seek answers following the deadly attack.
Goodness Anunobi
