The man killed in the parking lot of a Tampa mosque early Monday morning had recently become a U.S citizen, according to an official at the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay.
“We’re still trying to make sense of this tragic loss and how it happened on our facility,” said spokesman Ahmed Bedier.
Officials with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said the victim and the alleged shooter knew each other and had an ongoing dispute that led to the shooting, but the shooting was not connected to a hate crime.
RELATED: Man dead after Tampa mosque shooting
“We’re grieving. The community is in shock,” said Bedier. “This is a spiritual time for the Muslim community. It is the month of Ramadan. The events were not related to Ramadan. These were two people in their own personal capacity that had this situation, and we just can’t make sense of what happened and what would drive somebody to do that."
Bedier said the alleged shooter had volunteered in the past for the mosque’s security team but was not acting in that capacity at the time of the shooting.
“The person that did the shooting did volunteer on the safety committee. It’s not clear when he obtained his concealed weapons license, and again, we are not aware of all the people who have concealed weapons licenses, because that is something between them and the government,” he said. “The government issues the licenses; we have no control over that.”
Bedier added the mosque does not ask those on the safety committee to be armed but does require members to report problems to the proper authorities.
“We’re not encouraging people, we’re not discouraging people. This is something between them and the government,” he said. “If they chose to, it’s their own constitutional right, and we’re not giving them guidance one way or the other, but just from a general perception, I’ve noticed more people within the community and just like within the state, Muslim and non-Muslim have an interest to carry concealed weapons.”
A neighbor who said he knew both the victim and the alleged shooter said he believes the mosque should revisit its policies for those on the safety committee.
“They need to have an extensive class. Nobody deserves to die like that,” said Alaa Bashash.
Bashash also said the victim was critical of how the mosque was run and believed his views might have played a role in the shooting.
“I am really angry. In the beginning, I thought it was a fight, but once I realized that one of the people that worked there shot him, I knew that they meant it,” he said.
Bedier and law enforcement said the shooting is unrelated to the mosque. The mosque does work with the sheriff’s department, and often has security present. An off-duty HCSO deputy who had just wrapped up security detail was nearby when the shooting happened.
Emerald Morrow is a reporter with 10News WTSP. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. You can also email her at emorrow@wtsp.com.