WEST HARRIS COUNTY — A shooting occurred at the Masjid Hamza Mission in the 6200 block of Tres Lagunas in west Harris County on May 23, 2026. Hassan Al Masri was shot in the hand during the incident after mosque members asked Hamzah Sheikh to leave the property.
Al Masri was attending Saturday evening prayers at the mosque when the shooting occurred. Members of the mosque had been providing Sheikh, 37, with access to showers, Wi-Fi, meals, and occasionally a place to stay on the property for several months. Mosque leaders decided to ask Sheikh to leave the premises after receiving complaints from children who felt uncomfortable around him, according to prosecutors.
Al Masri said he was speaking with a 911 dispatcher when a bullet struck the phone in his hand. "He said, 'What do you want me to do?' I said, 'You have to leave, if you don't leave, I'm going to call the police.' He said, 'Give me two minutes,'" he recalled. Al Masri said he heard three shots during the incident.
According to prosecutors, Sheikh allegedly opened fire on several men who had been providing him with food, shelter, and other assistance for months after being asked to leave the mosque property. Sheikh appeared before a judge on June 1, 2026, and is facing four active criminal charges.
Despite being wounded, Al Masri expressed no regret about the mosque’s prior efforts to help Sheikh. "No, no. I'm Muslim. We do the best we can to assist others. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. I would do it over and over again. I will do the best I can to assist others." Al Masri is continuing to recover from his injuries. He hopes Hamzah Sheikh remains in jail and never returns to the mosque.