VOA慢速英語:美國官員調(diào)查德克薩斯槍擊案

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is gatheringinformation about the two men who opened fire outside an event last weekendin Garland, Texas. A security officer shot and killed the gunmen. The officerwas wounded in the attack.

The shooting took place near a building where a private group was holding acontest. The group offered a $10,000 prize for the best depiction of Islam’sProphet Mohammad. For Muslims, any image or representation of the prophetis considered disrespectful.

The event was the idea of a group called the American Freedom DefenseInitiative, also known as Stop the Islamization of America.

Police investigators searched the area where the shooting took place throughthe night and into the morning. Joe Harn is with the police department inGarland, Texas. He said police know what happened on Sunday.

An investigator talks to police officers at the Autumn Ridge apartment complex which had been searched by investigators in Phoenix, Arizona, May 4, 2015.

“Two men exited the dark-colored sedan. Both of them had assault rifles,came around the back of the car and started shooting at the police car. Thepolice officer in that car began returning fire and struck both men, taking themdown.”

Police used a robot to examine the suspects’ car for explosives. They did notfind any.

Later, investigators identified one of the dead men as 31-year-old EltonSimpson. He was born in the United States. As a young man, he acceptedIslam. Police say he shared an apartment with Nadir Soofi, the other gunman, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Court documents say that Elton Simpson had been under investigation since2006. They say he was tried and jailed in 2010 for lying to agents of theFederal Bureau of Investigation. He was suspected of wanting to join Islamicextremists in Somalia.

Federal agents and police searched the men’s apartment home in Phoenix.Before carrying out the attack, Simpson is said to have provided details of hisplans on the social media site Twitter.

The shooting has extended the debate about freedom of speech. Organizersof the contest described it as a free speech event.

Debate about freedom of speech

Pamela Geller was the lead organizer of the event in Garland. She comparedthe attack to the murder of 12 people earlier this year at Paris offices of theFrench weekly Charlie Hebdo.

Her group has created public debate over its opinions of Muslims in America.Her supporters say she speaks the truth about a topic people are too fearfulto discuss. Her critics, however, call her a bigot. Oren Segal is with the Anti-Defamation League. The group describes itself on its website as dedicated tostopping the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fairtreatment to all.

Mr. Segal said Ms. Geller “is one of the leading American anti-Muslim bigots,consistently vilifying Muslims and the Islamic faith under the guise of courseof fighting radical Islamists.” He said that she does not recognize a differencebetween Islamic extremists and all Muslims.

Ms. Geller answered criticism against her in an email to VOA.

She wrote that, “It is not bigotry to stand up for the freedom of speech and thefreedom of expression against those who would violently suppress it,” shewrote. “The ADL apparently prefers submission in the face of violent threats tostanding up for the liberty and dignity of the individual.”

The non-profit Southern Poverty Law Center has also condemned Ms.Geller’s group.

In 2010, the American Freedom Defense Initiative campaigned against aproposed Islamic community center near the former World Trade Centertowers in New York City. Terrorists with ties to al-Qaida destroyed the towersin 2001. The community center was never built.

On Tuesday, the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for theattack Sunday. There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials on thegroup’s claim.

I’m Mario Ritter.

This story was based from reports by Matthew Hilburn, Smita Nordwall, GregFlakus and Jerome Socolovsky. Mario Ritter wrote it for VOA LearningEnglish. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

contest – n. competition

depiction – n. representation, picture or image

topic – n. someone or something that people write about or discuss

defamation – n. the act of saying false things to make people have a badopinion of someone or something; to defame someone or something

bigot – n. someone who strongly or unfairly dislike other people, or theirideas; someone who refuses to accept people of a group on the basis of race,ethnicity or sexual preference

guise – n. a way of appearing or looking that is not true or real

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