Gunshots fired at Katy-area mosque

KATY, Texas (FOX 26) — The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help from the public to obtain any information on the person or persons who discharged a firearm at the Muslim American Society-Katy Center (MAS) Mosque.

The incident was reported as criminal mischief at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Monday when deputies assigned to the west district 4 patrol arrived to the 1800 block of Baker Road in far west Harris County.

An employee of the Mosque told deputies that a contractor’s truck that was parked in the lot and the exterior of the Mosque were struck by gunfire from the roadway.

The vehicle was found to have a bullet hole in the windshield and the Mosque‘s front wall was struck by a round.

Mosque employees believe the incident took place sometime early Monday morning at around 3 a.m., but was not discovered until Monday afternoon.

Hesham Ebaid, Vice President of the center stood with members to show they will not let a senseless act of violence interfere with the service they provide. A safe place for worship, and a private school that educates over 200 students.

“This is concerning for us. This is one of the major Islamic centers in the area.“

Ebaid also tells us he has spoken with the FBI and plans on beefing up security at the center. He also tell Fox 26 the support from the surrounding community has been great, and wants his members to know they are going about business as usual.

“Please come. Don’t stop going to your Mosque. By you coming you’re sending a message to those type of people that those type of events is not going to affect us.”

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Violent Crimes unit by phone at 713-274-9100 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-8477 (TIPS), online by visiting https://www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=610, by text message by sending TIP610 and the information to 274637 (CRIMES) or with the Houston Crime Stoppers in the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store and the Blackberry App World. Crime Stoppers is willing to pay up to $5,000 for any information that leads to the filing of felony charges or arrest of the suspect in this case. People who submit information to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous.