Two gunmen have been shot dead outside a controversial
exhibition featuring cartoon depictions of the Prophet
Muhammad in Dallas in Texas, US authorities say.
The shooting was reported shortly before 7pm local time on
Sunday outside the Curtis Culwell Center in the Dallas suburb
of Garland.
The two armed suspects drove up to the front of the building
in a car as the event, called the Muhammad Art Exhibit, was
coming to an end, and began shooting at a security officer,
the city said in a message posted online.
Garland police officers then exchanged fire with the gunmen
and both suspects were shot dead, the city said.
The security guard was shot in the ankle in the gunfire, but
his injuries were not considered serious and he has already
been discharged from hospital.
A police bomb squad is reportedly at the scene and is
inspecting the dead gunmen’s car.
A Garland police spokesman, Joe Harn, said there was a large
police presence already at the scene, as police “had prepared
for this event, in case something like this happened”.
Al Jazeera‘s Heidi Zhou-Castro, who is near the scene of the
shooting, said an area of about a kilometre radius around the
incident had been locked down, following reports that a third
suspect was seen near a shopping centre.
A New York-based group called the American Freedom
Defense Initiative had claimed it was exercising its right of
free expression in running the contest.