The gunshots heard near the site of a proposed mosque near Murfreesboro, Tenn., were probably the result of hunters taking advantage of the start of squirrel hunting season, a spokesman for the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office tells TPM.
Detective Sgt. Dan Goodwin said that no police report was filed after someone reported hearing nine gunshots at the site the day after construction equipment was found torched at the site.
The person who made the report, Saleh Sbenaty, a member of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, said he heard what sounded like a high-caliber rifle near the site. So he called the sheriff.
But, Goodwin said, the site is in a “very rural, wooded area” (which you can see on Google Maps). Besides, the gunshots were heard the day after squirrel hunting season officially opened.
He also said his office likely hasn’t generated any leads in two cases of vandalism that occurred before the fire, when a sign announcing the new community center was first spray-painted with “not welcome” and then broken. He noted that it’s a remote area and there were probably not any witnesses.
The department is, however, doing extra patrols by the property.
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