Converted at a young age in Phoenix, Arizona.
Via Heavy:
Elton Simpson has been identified as one of the two gunmen who opened fire Sunday night outside the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest in Garland, Texas. An unarmed security guard was shot, but survived with a non-life-threatening wound, before Simpson and his accomplice were killed by police.
Simpson, 30, and the other shooter are from Phoenix, Arizona, according to WFAA News. He was “well known” by the FBI and was the subject of a previous terror investigation, ABC News reports.
Simpson and the other gunman were armed with assault rifles and wearing body protection, police said. They exchanged fire with a Garland police officer armed with handgun.
He was also known as Mutawakil. His father, Dunston Simpson, told ABC News, “We are Americans and we believe in America. What my son did reflects very badly on my family,” adding that his son “made a bad choice.”
Simpson’s accomplice has not yet been identified, but they were roommates, according to KNXP reporter Chris Williams.
WFAA reports that FBI agents were searching the gunmen’s Phoenix, Arizona home.
Police also remain at the scene of the shooting, and have been examining the gunmen’s car. They were concerned about explosives being hidden inside it.