COLUMBUS, OH — Columbus police have identified the man killed in a Monday afternoon shooting near a mosque in northeast Columbus as 21-year-old Luqmaan Cusmaan. Officers said the gunfire erupted after 2 p.m. near an apartment complex in the 2200 block of Albert Avenue, where dispatchers received more than 30 calls reporting the violence.

Police said one victim died at the scene, while a second person was found nearby. Investigators have not released that person’s condition. As of Tuesday afternoon, Columbus police had not announced any arrests or provided new details about a suspect, but they said the person or people believed to be involved may be armed and dangerous.

More than 30 calls came in as shots rang out at the apartment complex

Police said the first emergency calls arrived around 2:11 p.m. Monday, describing gunfire and a fight involving multiple people. In one 911 call, a caller could be heard pleading for help and saying that everyone was crying. The volume of calls gave dispatchers and officers an early sign of how quickly the scene had spiraled out of control.

Body camera footage showed officers asking witnesses what the shooters looked like. One caller described them as “a bunch of young boys,” though police have not released suspect descriptions. Sgt. James Fuqua of the Columbus Division of Police said the shooting involved many shots and created a chaotic scene that investigators are still working to understand.

Fuqua called the killing senseless and unnecessary violence. He said police are still trying to determine what led to the confrontation and have not yet said whether the shooting stemmed from a dispute, a fight, or something else.

Police say a second victim was found, but details remain limited

Officers said they also located a second victim after the gunfire, but they have not said whether that person was shot, injured in another way, or transported for treatment. The department has not publicly confirmed whether there were additional victims beyond the two people found at the scene.

One call to emergency dispatchers reportedly mentioned multiple people had been shot, but police have not confirmed that detail. Authorities have also not said whether investigators believe the second victim is connected to the same suspect or whether that person may help explain what happened before the shooting.

By Tuesday afternoon, Columbus police had not said whether anyone had been arrested. ABC 6 said it asked the department whether officers had identified suspects or made any arrests, but police had not released any new information.

The mosque was nearby, but police say it was not the target

The shooting happened near a mosque where a funeral was taking place, adding to the confusion for people inside and around the building. Police stressed that the funeral was unrelated to the shooting and said they had no indication that the mosque itself was targeted.

Fuqua said there was no known damage to the mosque and no one inside the building was injured. He said officers had no reason to believe the violence was motivated by religion or directed at the mosque. Instead, investigators believe it was an altercation that happened outside the place of worship.

Federal investigators who were assigned to a separate task in the area were nearby when the gunfire broke out, according to police. Their presence added another layer to an already crowded and tense scene as officers worked to secure the area.

Tensions grew as family, mourners and reporters gathered near the scene

As police investigated, another disturbance broke out near the area where members of the media had gathered. People at the scene described shouting, screaming and shoving as relatives and friends of the victim, along with mourners attending the funeral, tried to make sense of what had just happened outside.

Police said no arrests had been made in connection with that separate altercation. Fuqua said emotions were high and confusion spread quickly because people inside the mosque did not immediately know what was happening outside.

He said officers needed a large presence to bring order back to the area and keep everyone calm. The scene, he said, involved grieving family members, anxious mourners and officers all trying to respond to a fast-moving emergency.

Neighbors and community leaders describe grief, shock and concern

The shooting left nearby residents and members of the Muslim community grappling with both the loss of life and the closeness of the violence to a place of worship. Khalid Turaani, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Ohio, said it was a relief that the mosque itself had not been targeted.

Even so, Turaani said the location made the shooting unsettling. He described the community as close-knit and said people would need time to heal. The violence, he said, struck people who know one another well and are already dealing with grief from the funeral.

Gaston Hernandez, a mechanic who lives in the area, said he has been in the neighborhood for more than 10 years and had never seen anything like it. He said disagreements should be handled without gun violence and urged people to find other ways to resolve conflicts.

Investigators ask for tips as the case remains open

Police have not said what prompted the shooting or whether they have recovered a weapon. They also have not released any new suspect information, even as they continue to treat the case as active and potentially dangerous.

Investigators were back at the apartment complex on Tuesday, where they were seen using a metal detector to search the grass for possible items tied to the shooting. That follow-up work suggests police are still trying to piece together the sequence of events and locate physical evidence from the scene.

Anyone with information about the shooting is being asked to contact Columbus police. For now, the department says the case remains open while detectives work to identify everyone involved and determine how the confrontation unfolded.