2 gunmen killed, officer shot outside Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas

Two gunmen were killed and a security guard wounded in an attack outside a controversial Dallas-area event Sunday evening where organizers were holding a contest for cartoons featuring the Muslim prophet Muhammad, police said.

The shooting at Garland, a suburb about 20 miles from Dallas, was preceded by messages from two social media accounts that supported extremist Islamic viewpoints.

One tweet, sent at 6:35 p.m., was hashtagged #texasattack. The user wrote, “May Allah accept us as mujahideen.” Attendees inside the conference didn’t get word about the shooting until 6:50 p.m.

The Jihad Watch Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest, led by prominent conservatives who are critical of Islam, was ending when two males drove up in a car and began shooting at a Garland school security officer who was apparently helping protect the building, said Garland officials.

“He was shot in the leg, transported to the hospital and he’ll be fine,” Garland mayor Douglas Athas told the Los Angeles Times.

One of the gunmen was shot “immediately” by Garland police, and the other gunman was shot and killed when he reached for a backpack, leading police to fear the men may have brought explosives, Athas said.

Officials then evacuated the area as attendees inside the building were led away from the front of the building.

The event was organized by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which is led by Pamela Geller, a well known conservative political personality who has been critical of Islam.