Two gunmen were gunned down on Sunday, May 3, 2015 after they opened fire on a security officer outside the venue of a provocative contest for cartoon depictions of Prophet Muhammad.
According to authorities, a bomb squad was called in to search their vehicle as a precaution during the contest which took place in Texas.
A statement the City of Garland stated that the gunmen drove up to the Curtis Culwell Center in the Dallas suburb of Garland as the contest was scheduled to end and began shooting at a security officer.
This prompted a revenge attack from the Garland police officers who killed the men.
During a press conference, a spokesman for the Garland Police Department, Officer Joe Harn, said, “Because of the situation of what was going on today and the history of what we’ve been told has happened at other events like this, we are considering their car (is) possibly containing a bomb.
“Police are not aware of any ongoing threat and had not received any credible threats before the event.”
Meanwhile, Harn explained that it has not been ascertained whether the shooting was connected to the event inside, a contest hosted by the New York-based American Freedom Defense Initiative that would award $10,000 for the best cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
A handful of police operatives were said to have blocked off a large area around the center in the night of the aforementioned day with police helicopters circled overhead as bomb squads worked on the car.
According to WKRC, authorities haven’t removed the bodies of the gunmen, who have not yet been identified.
Harn said, “The bodies are too close to the car to be removed, but that will happen once the scene is clear.
“The security officer who was shot worked for the Garland Independent School District.
“He was treated at a local hospital for injuries and had been released Sunday night.
In a statement, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said, “Texas officials are actively investigating to determine the cause and scope of the senseless attack.”
