'My Legs Were Shaking': 9-Year-Old Recounts Seeing 'Bad Stuff' During US Mosque Shooting

Last Updated:May 19, 2026, 19:09 IST

The boy, Odai Shanah, was among dozens of students at an Islamic school inside the mosque complex when the attack happened.

A nine-year-old boy who survived the deadly shooting at a mosque complex in San Diego has described moments of terror as gunfire broke out, leaving three people dead and children hiding inside classrooms.

The boy, Odai Shanah, was among dozens of students at an Islamic school inside the mosque complex when the attack happened. His mother is a refugee from Gaza who relocated to California around two decades ago.

Speaking to the media after the incident, he described hearing repeated gunfire and hiding with his classmates as panic spread through the building.

“I heard like a bunch of bad stuff, like gunshots," he said. “I went inside the closet with my whole class. We heard like 12 or like 16 gunshots."

He said emergency officers later entered the building and ordered the children to come out. “The SWAT team kicked open the door… they told us to put our hands up and form a big line," he said.

As they were moved through the mosque complex, he said they saw damage inside parts of the building. “It was broken down, the gold stuff was broken on the floor," he said, referring to interior decorations.

The child said the experience left him deeply shaken and physically unwell. “I felt a bit scared, my legs were shaking and my hands… my head was hurting me a lot. I felt like a rock."

The shooting took place at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where police say two teenage gunmen opened fire, killing three men before later dying from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Authorities are investigating the attack as a possible hate crime.

Officials said a security guard was among those killed and may have helped prevent further deaths by responding quickly during the attack.

Police also said they had been informed shortly before the shooting that one suspect was reportedly suicidal and that weapons were missing, but the attack still went ahead.

(With inputs from agencies)

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