Two People Killed in Shooting Outside an Event Center in Garland, Texas

Sunday evening, an event hosted by the New York-based American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland turned deadly.

The AFDI was hosting a contest that would award $10,000 for the best cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

ABC News affiliate WFAA-TV reports two men were shot and killed in the parking lot outside of the venue. The men were in a vehicle driving in front of the venue when they opened fire.

A Garland Independent School District police officer returned fired at the men, and suffered a gunshot wound to his leg.

WFAA also reported that SWAT teams and an FBI bomb squad were dispatched to the scene to search for explosives after the shooting.

AFDI President Pamela Geller told the Associated Press that she planned the Garland event to make a stand for free speech in response to the outcries and violence over drawings of Muhammad.

As of 10 p.m. Sunday night, the identities of the men killed have not been released.

The Curtis Culwell Center is a multipurpose event facility owned by Garland ISD.