Breaking (5/3/15): Gunfire Reported At Anti-Islam Event At Garland ISD Facility (TX)

[Ryan Ruck]

Breaking: Gunfire Reported At Anti-Islam Event At Garland ISD Facility (TX)

May 3, 2015

A spokesman for Garland ISD has confirmed that gunfire was reported at an anti-Islam event at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland ISD.

Police believe two people were shot outside the facility where an art show centering on caricatures of Muhammad was being held, KXAS-TV (NBC5) said.

There were reports that an officer was involved in the shootings, and police had sealed the doors to the center as SWAT personnel responded to the incident.

No one was being allowed to leave the facility, and Garland police were working to secure the area. Nearby businesses, including a Walmart and Sam's Club, were evacuated.

Authorities extended a perimeter 2,000 feet around the Culwell Center, and they were investigating a vehicle within that zone.

Reports of the incident began to develop shortly before 7, 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 contest, which was offering a top prize of $10,000, has received about 350 entries depicting Muhammad. Caricatures of the Islamic prophet are considered offensive by many Muslims.

In January, a French newspaper that published such cartoons was attacked by terrorists and 12 people died.

As part of its contract with the district, the American Freedom Defense Initiative has paid $10,000 for extra security - nearly $50 for each of about 200 tickets that have been purchased so far. That cost doesn't include private security the group is employing.

More details to come.

[Ryan Ruck]

Reports are 2 with explosive vests on were shot.

Trying to find an article.

[Ryan Ruck]

Officer and Two Suspects Down in Gunfight at Islamic Cartoon Contest in Texas, Possible Explosives Found

May 3, 2015



UPDATE, 8:59 PM: Police have the area blocked off and have removed reporters for up to half a mile away. Helicopters are patrolling the skies and police are standing in the intersection, blocking the roads and are armed with M-16s.

UPDATE, 8:51 PM: A senior officer has said that the officer taken to the hospital will be OK, and that the two suspects will not be OK. The 100 people being held inside singing the Star-Spangled Banner to comfort themselves.

UPDATE, 8:45 PM: Police appeared to have escorted a few individuals through a conference room, and continue to patrol the perimeter.

UPDATE: Suspects had two AK-47’s according to police on the scene. The officer has been transported to the hospital. The suspects are still on the ground at the scene. They are not moving and are not being touched at this time until a bomb squad checks out their bodies.

Approximately 100 people are being held by police in a secured facility inside the event.

GARLAND, Texas — Armed police officers rushed in to the Mohammed Art Exhibit and Contest and quickly removed Pamela Geller and whisked her away to safety after a gunfight erupted outside of the event. A law enforcement officer and two suspects are reportedly down, according to police on the scene. Three Breitbart Texas reporters are locked down inside of the event. The officers on the scene said that possible explosives were found. The extrication of Geller occurred during a live video interview with Breitbart Texas.

The attendees to the exhibit were forced into lockdown by police. Several officers entered to exhibit and informed the attendees that an officer was down, two suspects had been shot, and that possible explosives were found.

Breitbart Texas will update this post as more information becomes available. Most of the Breitbart Texas team is currently on lockdown inside of the event.

[Ryan Ruck]

[Ryan Ruck]

Breitbart update:

UPDATE, 9:06 PM: A local NBC reporter says the two suspects are dead.

Breaking: 3 ppl shot - 2 dead.. pic.twitter.com/cY4IFvCw5J

— Jocelyn Lockwood (@JocelynNBC5) May 4, 2015

[Ryan Ruck]

Another Breitbart update:

UPDATE, 9:14 PM: Garland Police have reportedly evacuated a nearby WalMart and are searching the car the suspects allegedly drove to the event.

pic.twitter.com/hg1Uxea4nX

— Jocelyn Lockwood (@JocelynNBC5) May 4, 2015

[Ryan Ruck]

UPDATE, 9:20 PM: The car may contain explosives, according to WFAA8:

Two men were shot and killed in a parking lot outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland Sunday afternoon, SWAT officials told News 8.

The two suspects drove up and opened fire on the center, which was hosting a Muhammad Art exhibit, and hit a Garland ISD officer.

That officer suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to a spokesman for Garland Police.

Police were searching the area for a vehicle that had explosives in it.

SWAT members were already at the scene for the art event.

Rowlett/Sachse Scanner reported on Facebook that a suspect was inside a nearby Walmart, off Garland Avenue and Naaman Forest Boulevard, with a hand grenade.

A 1,000-foot radius around the Walmart was shut down and the Academy Store was evacuated, according to that page.

[Ryan Ruck]

UPDATE, 9:33 PM: Police are searching multiple vehicles for explosives:

Two men have been shot by police outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas Sunday afternoon, Garland police have confirmed.

Police said two men pulled up in a vehicle and shot a Garland ISD Police officer outside the building. The men were then shot and killed by Garland police.

The officer who was shot remains in a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Businesses near the area were evacuated, including a nearby Walmart. Police are preparing to search vehicles parked outside for explosives.

[Ryan Ruck]

The British press reporting on it.

Censoring out the artwork.

Two Gunmen 'Carrying Explosives' Attack Anti-Muslim Art Contest In Texas: Suspects Dead And Cop Wounded At 'Draw Muhammad' Event That Offered $10k Prize

May 3, 2015

Two armed suspects believed to be carrying explosives have been shot dead after opening fire outside an anti-Muslim art exhibition in Dallas.

The pair were gunned down after shooting a officer in the leg outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, during a 'family event' where caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad were being displayed.

The building and surrounding area was placed on lockdown by a SWAT team with hundreds of attendees still inside after multiple gunshots were heard.


Heavily armed police secure art work inside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, after two suspects opened fire at a police officer before they were shot dead


A policeman keeps members of the audience inside after the shots were fired. Two explosives were also said to have been left near the building

No one was allowed to leave as surrounding businesses, including a Wal-Mart and Taco Bell, were evacuated as authorities searched for two more devices.

Two suspects pulled up in a vehicle with with explosives, before getting out and firing at the officer, identified in local reports as Bruce Joiner.

He was taken to hospital in a stable condition and is expected to survive.

The attack unfolded shortly after Dutch member of parliament and leader of the far-right Party for Freedom, Geert Wilders, had delivered his keynote speech.

In 2009, he sparked controversy for showing a controversial film which linked the Koran to terrorism and has previously said the Netherlands is being taken over by a 'tsunami of Islamisation'.

Pamela Geller, the organizer, told CBS 11 from inside the building: 'I heard officers talking of possible explosions in backpacks and the car. There was talk of a grenade at the nearby Wal-Mart.'

The event was set up by the American Freedom Defense Initiative and had been described by opponents as an attack on Islam.

The organizers believed they were exercising their freedom of expression.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the contest, which was offering a top prize of $10,000, had received about 350 entries depicting Muhammad.

Visual representation of the prophet is deemed extremely offensive by Muslims.


Dutch member of parliament and leader of the far-right Party for Freedom, Geert Wilders, had just delivered the keynote address inside the exhbition when the deadly incident unfolded


The event was set up by the American Freedom Defense Initiative and had been described by opponents as an attack on Islam


An officer prevents two people from leaving the building as the area is placed on lockdown


Members of the Garland Police Department are stand guard inside the Curtis Culwell Center in the aftermath of the shooting


An audience member is told to wait after Wilders finished his speech. Attendees were transferred to the parking lot of a nearby high school


The crowd took out their cellphones to record the armed officer giving them orders

[Ryan Ruck]

Breitbart:

UPDATE, 9:58 PM: Bomb squads arrive on the scene — and the wounded officer has been released from the hospital.

Plano bomb squad is arriving on scene to assist.. @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/NmF33JnjL0

— Jocelyn Lockwood (@JocelynNBC5) May 4, 2015

[Ryan Ruck]

UPDATE, 9:56 PM: In an interview with Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM, Breitbart Texas Director Brandon Darby speculated that the shooting was timed for the end of the conference so that the gunmen could target the crowd flooding out into the parking lot. The event went longer than expected, which potentially prevented further casualties. The event was initially scheduled to end at 7 PM.

UPDATE, 9:49 PM: The wounded officer was reportedly shot in the leg, according to The Telegraph, which was swift to attribute its disapproval of the event to “critics”:

Two gunmen have been shot dead after opening fire at an art exhibition in Texas where caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed were being displayed.

Police said the suspects, allegedly armed with explosives, were killed outside the Curtis Culwell Centre in Garland, which was hosting an art show of drawings of the Prophet.

An officer was also reportedly injured after being shot in the leg.

The event was billed as a “free speech event” by its sponsor, the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which has been criticised by opponents for being anti-Islam.

UPDATE, 9:45 PM: Cops are herding people back into the building, while buses help to evacuate the attendees.

#BREAKING Officer yells out at everyone outside in the parking lot: "Get in the f-ing building." @wfaachannel8

— Jobin Panicker (@jobinpnews) May 4, 2015

Buses are now rolling in to evacuate people from inside the Curtis Culwell Center @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/oKS1Flxqlr

— Jocelyn Lockwood (@JocelynNBC5) May 4, 2015

[Ryan Ruck]

Perps ventilated:




Snackbar's closed motherfuckers!

[Ryan Ruck]

[Ryan Ruck]

Live video:

[Ryan Ruck]

Here's an uncensored pic of some of the artwork:

[Ryan Ruck]

Not sure what this is but passing it on.

[Ryan Ruck]

UPDATE, 10:41 PM: Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch and an attendee of the event tweeted about his experience:

The shooting outside our free speech event shows once again that moderate Muslims are unable or unwilling to rein in their violent brethren

— Robert Spencer (@jihadwatchRS) May 4, 2015

UPDATE, 10:38 PM: Geert Wilders, a prominent critic of Islam in Europe, says he left the building.

Shots fired at Garland Mohammed cartoon free speech event. I just left the building after speeching. #garlandshooting

— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) May 4, 2015

[Ryan Ruck]

Pamela Geller who helped organize the event is on the phone with FNC right now.

[Ryan Ruck]

PGA Golfer Bob Estes (https://twitter.com/bobestespga) Tweeted the shooters were exercising their 2nd Amendment rights in response to a 1st Amendment event and then deleted it.

Screen caps are your friend.

https://t.co/HwRWpb8jRy pic.twitter.com/AknCaENm8A

— Drew McCoy (@DrewMTips) May 4, 2015

[Ryan Ruck]

Holy crap, Texas PD robots are all FUBAR'd.

A tire fell off one and the other tipped over.