9-year-old describes hiding in closet during deadly California mosque attack

A nine-year-old boy has shared his terrifying experience of hiding in a closet while gunmen opened fire outside a Southern California mosque and Islamic day school. Odai Shanah was among dozens of students forced into lockdown during the deadly active shooter situation at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

Shanah, whose mother fled war-torn Gaza for the United States twenty years ago, recalled hearing an initial barrage of gunfire from outside his classroom. Teachers quickly ushered the trembling students into a closet for safety as up to 16 more shots rang out. Following a tense standoff, a police SWAT team cleared the building, ordering the children to form a line with their hands up before escorting them to safety, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

As they evacuated the complex, Shanah witnessed the grim aftermath of the violence. "We saw a bunch of bad stuff, people laying down," the young boy said, acknowledging he was referring to the bodies of the victims. He described feeling physically numb and shaken by the ordeal, noting that his legs were shaking and his head hurt.

Authorities confirmed that the two teenage gunmen never breached the interior of the mosque or the Bright Horizon Academy, and all students were safely accounted for. However, three men affiliated with the Islamic Center—including a security guard credited with preventing further casualties—were killed outside the building. The two teenage suspects died by suicide several blocks away following the assault.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada