Nicolai Haugsted
Now the young boy speaks out.
Fear spread quickly through classrooms at a Southern California mosque school after gunfire erupted outside the building, forcing children to hide in closets while heavily armed officers searched the property.
Families connected to the Islamic Center of San Diego continue mourning after three people linked to the mosque were killed during the May 18 attack. Among the surviving students was 9-year-old Odai Shanah, who later described the panic inside the school as police evacuated children past wounded victims and blood-covered areas outside.
Reuters reports that Odai’s parents allowed him to speak publicly about the shooting to show how deeply the violence affected children trapped inside the complex.
Family escaped conflict before settling in California
Pain surrounding the attack carried additional emotional weight for Odai’s family.
Odai’s mother fled Gaza in 2006 during fighting involving Israeli forces and Palestinian militants before later settling in Southern California. Years later, his father moved to the United States from Jordan in 2015.
Hope for safety brought the family to San Diego after years shaped by instability overseas. Gunfire outside the mosque school suddenly placed them inside another violent situation.
Students rushed into hiding
Classes were underway at Bright Horizon Academy, located inside the Islamic Center, when shots rang out across the property.
Police later identified the suspected shooters as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez. Authorities said three men associated with the mosque were killed before the suspects later died by suicide several blocks away.
Teachers inside the school immediately moved children away from doors and windows as more shots echoed outside.
According to Odai, students squeezed into a closet while teachers attempted to keep everyone calm.
“My legs were shaking and my hands and my head were like hurting a lot,” Odai said.
Fear intensified as additional gunfire continued nearby. Odai recalled hearing roughly a dozen more shots after the students hid inside the cramped space.
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SWAT officers entered classrooms
Police tactical teams later moved through the mosque building while searching for possible threats.
At one point, officers shouted instructions from outside the classroom before opening the door.
“‘OK, open up,’ then they opened the door,” Odai recalled.
Authorities later confirmed that the attackers never entered the school itself, allowing every child inside the academy to survive physically unharmed.
Emotional scars, however, remained visible in the child’s account of the attack.
“I felt like a rock,” Odai said while describing the fear inside the classroom.
Children evacuated past victims
Officers eventually began escorting students outside after securing the property.
Children were instructed to raise their hands while walking through the mosque grounds in lines under police protection.
“They told us to put our hands up and form a big line,” Odai said.
Scenes outside the classrooms left a lasting impression on the young survivor.
“[W]e saw a bunch of bad stuff, people laying down and yeah, bad stuff,” he said while describing the aftermath near the mosque entrance.
Accounts from survivors have provided one of the clearest pictures yet of the confusion inside the Islamic Center during the shooting.
Community continues grieving
Shock spread rapidly through San Diego’s Muslim community following the attack.
Families connected to the mosque had long viewed the Islamic Center and school as places tied to worship, education and stability.
Investigators said a security guard working at the mosque likely prevented additional casualties by stopping the attackers before they could reach children inside the building.
Counsellors, parents and religious leaders continue helping students process memories from the attack, including sounds of gunfire, armed police evacuations and scenes encountered outside the classrooms.
