Late Sunday night, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement regarding the shooting at the Mohammad Art Exhibit and Contest in Garland, a Dallas suburb.
“Texas officials are actively investigating to determine the cause and scope of the senseless attack in Garland, Texas,” said Governor Abbott. “This is a crime that was quickly ended thanks to the swift action by Garland law enforcement. Our thoughts and prayers remain with all those affected tonight.”
Breitbart Texas previously reported that attendees were immediately forced into lockdown by police after the shots were fired, including three Breitbart News reporters. Sources said event organizer Pamela Geller and keynote speaker Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician, were both safe. Breitbart Texas was conducting a live video interview with Geller at the moment of the attack.
A security officer was hit during the exchange of fire with police, while both suspects were killed. A bomb unit was on the scene late Sunday evening, using a robot to secure the vehicle from which the suspects opened fire. Officers on the scene were concerned the vehicle might contain explosives.
The inaugural Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest was hosted by Pamela Geller’s American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI). The sold-out event was billed as an expression of free speech, which is said to be under attack from radical Islamists, such as the gunmen who perpetrated the January massacre at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris.
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