2 dead in Texas after shooting at police officer outside of controversial art show

Police in Garland, Texas, say officers shot and killed two men Sunday afternoon after they pulled up to a building and shot a Garland Independent School District officer.

The incident took place outside the Curtis Culwell Center, which is hosting the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest, a controversial event organized by the American Freedom Defense Initiative featuring cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, NBC 5 reports. The group said it held the event to take a stand against intimidation by violence. People inside the center were taken by Garland SWAT to a nearby high school, and businesses in the vicinity were evacuated. Police also searched vehicles in the center's parking lot, looking for explosives.

Police said that there was a heavy law enforcement presence already at the event, with organizers spending almost $10,000 on extra security. The officer who was shot was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

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