No injuries after bullets hit Houston mosque during Ramadan event, HPD says no hate crime proof
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As faith leaders at a southwest Houston mosque led nearly 100 people through worship, their sense of safety shattered when three bullets smashed through their building Friday evening.
The intense moment was caught on camera while the service was live-streamed.
"All of a sudden during the event we heard gunshots," executive director Zahoor Gire said
It happened at the Alnoor Masjid mosque on Prestwood Drive near Gulfton Street.
Gire said they assumed the worst at first.
"We at first thought this was a hate crime," Gire said
Rising tensions over the war in Gaza and the start of their holiest holiday, Ramadan, made them assume they were being singled out in an act of targeted violence.
"The community is already on edge as it is," Gire said.
Houston Police put that fear to rest, linking the bullets to a shooting nearby that was completely unrelated to the mosque.
"That is a huge relief for our community members and of course our priority is always for the safety of our community members, we want them to feel safe this is a place of worship," Gire said.
No one was hurt, but Gire said the congregation was shaken by the unholy event making its way inside their house of worship.
"It is very concerning. Again we are praying for everyone and the area does require more patrols. We are in talks with HPD, and they said they will provide us with more safety and security during Ramadan," Gire said.
Police said they believe the shooting was related to an argument that broke out between two groups of people unrelated to the mosque. Shots were fired by at least one person before all the individuals involved fled the scene.
With Ramadan starting on Sunday evening, mosque officials are urging their community to remain vigilant but undeterred by fear.
Houston police are still working to figure out exactly what the disturbance was about.
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