SANDY, Utah — The Imam of the Utah Islamic Center was the alleged target of a drive-by shooting in Sandy on Monday evening, police shared.
The Sandy Police Department said an unidentified male suspect in a vehicle shot "several times" at Imam Shuaib, the Muslim leader who was in another vehicle at 700 West 9000 South.
Police said Imam Shuaib's vehicle was hit by multiple rounds, but he was not injured. He spoke with police officers investigating the shooting, and although police did not specifically identify the Imam by name, the Utah Islamic Center confirmed he was the victim in the incident.
“He parked, or came next to me, came out of his car, and what we later learned… eight bullet cases were found… eight shots were fired at my car," said the Imam. "All eight hit the car because he’s not in front shooting at me.”
Sandy police said they have been in communication with the FBI regarding the shooting, and are working all leads and using multiple resources to identify a suspect and motive.
"When something like this does happen, it definitely is a shock, and we pull all of our available resources to solving these types of crime." said Sgt. Michael Olsen with the Sandy City Police Department.
During the incident, all Imam Shuaib could think was "why would someone do this to me?"
"Now this kind of spills over into the community," he said. "Now we’re all concerned about their safety and the safety of the mosque.”
The Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake said West Valley City Police departments will be at the Khadeeja Islamic Center for the next several nights, and Salt Lake City Police will be at Masjid Al-Noor, Madina Masjid and Maryam Masjid.
The shooting came on the sixth night of Ramadan, a month of fasting and prayer observed by Muslims worldwide. Despite the incident, people in the community say they’ll continue to come together.
“We feel safe here. We never thought what happened yesterday… and we pray, and we say, please protect Utah from any problem," said Utah Islamic Center member Dr. Ibdulkarim.
Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski and the Sandy City Council responded to the shooting, saying they are "deeply troubled" but thankful that Shuaib was not injured.
"To our Muslim residents and neighbors: you are valued members of Sandy. We stand with you," their statement read.
Sandy Police shared photos of the suspect's vehicle:
They ask anyone with information about the case to contact them at 801-799-3000.
