Authorities say a man who beat a maintenance worker to death with a shovel at a mosque in Central Florida was later shot and wounded by deputies.
SANFORD, Florida – A man who shot and killed a maintenance worker with a shovel at a mosque in central Florida on Thursday morning was later shot and wounded by deputies in a different county, officials said.
Seminole County deputies responded to the unoccupied Florida Husseini Islamic Center in Sanford, where they found a 59-year-old man dead, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The center is located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Orlando.
According to detectives, Ahmed Raslan, 38, made unreasonable statements online and clearly believed the mosque was his home. It was not immediately clear why Raslan went to the mosque that morning and attacked the worker, but Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lema said at a news conference that maintenance workers may have dealt with Raslan and saved many more.
After a fierce battle, Raslan fled in a hunting minivan, officials said. He was later spotted in a parking lot by Indian River County deputies, who shot Ruslan more than once, officials said. Raslan was taken to hospital, but his condition was not immediately known.
Officials did not immediately release additional details about Ruslan’s shooting.