Two gunmen opened fire Sunday evening outside a
contest for cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad
at Garland ISD's Curtis Culwell Center, police said.
The two suspects were gunned down after shooting the
guard in the leg outside the Curtis Culwell Center in
Texas.
The security officer, Bruce Joiner, was released from the
hospital after his wounds were treated.
Reports suggest the pair were carrying explosives at the
time, and another two bombs were discovered nearby.
The building and surrounding area was placed on
lockdown by a SWAT team with around 100 attendees
still inside. Those inside started to sing patriotic songs,
including the national anthem and God Bless America,
and said a prayer after one woman pulled out an
American flag form her bag.
Reports of the incident began to develop shortly before
7 p.m., when the event had been scheduled to conclude.
A speaker had finished his presentation shortly after
6:30 p.m. Throughout the event, there had been no
notable protests, despite its controversial nature.
Opponents had said the American Freedom Defense
Initiative's Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest on
Sunday would be an attack on Islam. But its organizers
said they were simply exercising their right of
expression.
The event was the center of controversy since Garland
ISD agreed to rent out the Culwell Center. The decision
to book the event came a little more than a week after
Islamic militants in France killed 12 people at satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The organizers said they were exercising their freedom
of expression. The district's decision drew criticism
from critics and Islamic groups who said the event was
an attack on Islam.
The New York-based American Freedom Defense
Initiative was hosting a contest that would award $
10,000 for the best cartoon depicting the Prophet
Muhammad at the venue. Caricatures of the Islamic
prophet are considered offensive by many Muslims.
The American Freedom Defense Initiative paid an
additional $10,000 upfront for 40 officers to work
security at the event. The group's president, Pamela
Gellar, called it "the high cost of freedom."
The two men pulled up in a vehicle and shot a Garland
ISD security officer. The men were fatally shot by
Garland police, and their bodies remain on the street
outside the events center.
School Board President Rick Lambert rebuffed the
criticism of the district, saying "the Culwell Center is
available for rental as long as you comply with the law."
Garland had dueling protests during a "Stand With the
Prophet in Honor and Respect" in January. Some
protesters called for peace and understanding, while the
other group argued that Muslims' beliefs posed a threat
to the American way of life.
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