Two children, aged eight and 10, killed in shooting with 17 others injured, including 14 children
Two children, ages 8 and 10 were killed, with 17 others being injured, 14 of those being children, said Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara.
He said:
“This worship service was marking the first week of school for children that are attending the Annunciation Catholic school.
During the mass, a gunman approached on the outside, on the side of the building and began firing a rifle through the church windows, towards the children sitting in the pews at the mass.
He struck children and worshippers that were inside the building. The shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible …
Two young children, ages 8 and 10 were killed where they sat in the pews, their parents have been notified. 17 other people were injured, 14 of them being children. Two of those children are in critical condition. The coward who fired these shots ultimately took his own life in the rear of the church.”
Key events
Rachel Leingang
I’m standing outside police tape about a block away from where a gunman shot at a Catholic school, killing two children.
Police vehicles with their lights on are staged outside the school as news cameras are trained from outside the police tape, awaiting more information from officials. A white tent is set up outside the school.
The school is near a main road and commercial area. As I walked by a Starbucks and grocery store beside the police line, a woman walked by and said, “It just makes you sick.”
Police officers are redirecting traffic, escorting elected officials and surveying the area.
Marina Dunbar
Leaders and parents across the US have reacted in shock and horror as yet another mass shooting has struck America, this time at a Minneapolis Catholic school when an assailant opened fire on children gathered in a church celebrating their first mass of the new school year.
Authorities said the shooting took place Wednesday morning at Annunciation Catholic school. Two children, ages eight and 10, were shot and killed as they sat in the pew at Annunciation Church. About 17 others were hurt, with 14 of them being children.
As details emerged, political leaders released statements on the shooting.
Shooter named in local reports
The shooter has been named as Robin Westman, 23, by local news outlets. Westman reportedly grew up in Richfield, Minnesota, and his mother worked at Annunciation School.
Westman applied in Dakota County to change his birth name from Robert to Robin, per court documents obtained by Minnesota news outlet KARE 11. That request was granted in January 2020.
The Associated Press has spoken to people at the scene reacting to the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School that left two children dead.
Aubrey Pannhoff, a 16-year-old student at a nearby Catholic school, had been on a mission trip to Colorado with the school earlier this summer.
“I’m just asking him (God) why right now. It’s little kids,” she said. One of her mission trip leaders’ children was grazed by a bullet, Pannhoff said, and she doesn’t know how the other teachers are. “It’s just really hard for me to take in.”
Michael Simpson said his 10-year-old grandson, Weston Halsne, was nicked by a bullet as he sat by the church windows on Wednesday.
His voice was shaking as he left the area around the school. Simpson said the violence during mass left him wondering whether God was watching over the school still. “I don’t know where He is,” Simpson said. “It’s just really hard for me to take in”
Minneapolis mayor’s emotional statement in full
Here is the longer statement from Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey from the earlier press conference today:
“Children are dead. They are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity the tragedy or the absolute pain of this situation. We are a Minneapolis family, but to everybody out there, do not think of these as just somebody else’s kids. Those families are suffering immense pain right now. Think of this as if it were your own. Every one of us needs to be wrapping our arms around these families, giving them every ounce that we can muster.
These were Minneapolis families. These were American families, and the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary. Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. These are kids that should be learning with their friends. They should be playing on the playground, they should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence, and their parents should have the same kind of assurance. These are the sort of basic assurances every family should have every step of the day, regardless of where they are in our country.
I’m so deeply saddened and I’m so sorry to the families that I know are suffering right now. My ask is to everyone, stand by them. Love them. These families have forever been changed, and we’ve all been changed with them. We need to do everything possible to support them through this time… To the families that are suffering, to those that have experienced loss, I’m so deeply sorry. We’re going to be with you every step of the way. We love you. This kind of act of evil should never happen, and it happens far too often.”
Renee Lego, an Annunciation parishioner who has a 5th grader and 8th grader at Annunciation Catholic School, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that her older son thought the gunshots were “fireworks or a gas explosion” but then he saw people falling.
“Both my kids have blood on them,” she said. “It’s just horrific — so cowardly. This person knew this was our first all-school Mass of the year. It was obviously planned. This is the children’s Mass, not an advertised Mass for the public.”
Minneapolis mass shooting triggers outcry over gun violence prevalence
Former congressional representative and gun violence prevention advocate Gabby Giffords took to X and wrote:
I am heartbroken and furious over the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Kids should be learning, laughing, making friends — not running for their lives on the very first week of school. Another community is now traumatized by a mass shooting. How many more children will have to live this nightmare before our elected leaders do something?
Meanwhile, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote:
The shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis is horrifying. Praying for the children, families and first responders during this moment of terror and unimaginable grief. Weapons of war have no place in our neighborhoods, streets or schools.
Similarly, the youth-led gun violence prevention group March for Our Lives said:
“Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in America. Today in Minneapolis, that meant stained glass blown apart by bullets and kids slaughtered in church. A parent called it evil. They’re right. But let’s be clear: this isn’t just evil — it’s policy. It’s the direct result of people in power cashing checks from the gun industry while our kids are murdered. They know children are dying. And they choose it anyway. We will not live in a country that executes children in schools and churches. We will not accept their cowardice. We demand action. And we will not stop until the killing ends.”
Students at the Annunciation Catholic School, which enrolls children from preschool through eighth grade, only just returned for their first day back from summer break on Monday.
The school’s Facebook page shared images this week of students reuniting and parking their bikes.
“Happy first day of school! It was great having everyone back in the building today,” the school wrote on Monday.
Trump says he was ‘fully briefed on tragic shooting’ in Minneapolis
Donald Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday morning that he has been “fully briefed on the tragic shooting” and that the “White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!”
Meanwhile, education secretary Linda McMahon said:
“I am devastated by the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minnesota. I am grateful to the first responders working at the scene and praying for the victims of this horrific violence. My office is reaching out to local officials to learn more.”
Today’s incident marks the fourth deadly shooting in 24 hours in Minneapolis.
Over the course of Tuesday into Wednesday, three people were shot and killed in three separate shootings.
Despite this morning’s shootings not appearing to be connected to the shootings of the previous day, police said:
The level of gun violence across the city within the last day is deeply unsettling. Across three separate multiple-victim shootings, eight people have been injured by gunfire and three have lost their lives.
Hennepin Healthcare, a level 1 trauma hospital in Minneapolis said it had received 11 patients, including two adults and nine children, ranging in age from 6 to 14.
Four required the operating room, but no fatalities were related to those brought in, said Dr. Thomas Wyatt, chair of emergency medicine.
Here are some images coming through the newswires from Minneapolis:
Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara provided more details about the shooter, saying:
“It appeared he had some black clothing on, cargo type pants.”
He added:
“I do believe there was one, I guess you would call it a smoke bomb, like not an explosive, but a sort of a firework that would release smoke.”
Police are now working to determine a motive from the shooter.
Speaking to reporters, police chief Brian O’Hara said:
“We believe it is one suspect, a sole shooter. We believe he is deceased. He is in his early 20s, does not have an extensive known criminal history, and we are looking through information left behind to try and determine some type of motive…”
O’Hara added that it remains to be determined whether he was a former school employee or a former student.
“There’s a vehicle that we believe that the suspect used, that is being searched, and we will be conducting other searches related to this inside the parking lot,” he said.
O’Hara also said the shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.
Two children, aged eight and 10, killed in shooting with 17 others injured, including 14 children
Two children, ages 8 and 10 were killed, with 17 others being injured, 14 of those being children, said Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara.
He said:
“This worship service was marking the first week of school for children that are attending the Annunciation Catholic school.
During the mass, a gunman approached on the outside, on the side of the building and began firing a rifle through the church windows, towards the children sitting in the pews at the mass.
He struck children and worshippers that were inside the building. The shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible …
Two young children, ages 8 and 10 were killed where they sat in the pews, their parents have been notified. 17 other people were injured, 14 of them being children. Two of those children are in critical condition. The coward who fired these shots ultimately took his own life in the rear of the church.”
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey is holding a press conference currently.
“There are families that have a deceased child. You can not put into words the gravity, the tragedy, or the pain of this situation … Those families are suffering immense pain right now. Think of this as if it were your own.
Every one of us needs to be wrapping our arms around these families, giving them every ounce that we can muster. These were Minneapolis families. These were American families, and the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary.”
The Department of Homeland Security has also been notified of the shooting, with secretary Kristi Noem saying:
“DHS is monitoring the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. We are in communication with our interagency partners, and will share more information as soon as it becomes available. I am praying for the victims of this heinous attack and their families.”
Minnesota leaders briefed on incident
Minnesota leaders including governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis governor Jacob Frey, as well as congressional senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith have been briefed on the incident.
Writing on X, Walz said:
I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.
Meanwhile, Frey said:
“I’m monitoring reports of horrific violence in South Minneapolis. I’m in touch with Chief O’Hara and our emergency response team has been activated. We will share more information as soon as we can. Please give our officers the space they need to respond to the situation.”
Similarly, Klobuchar said:
“I am heartbroken by the horrific violence at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis this morning. My prayers are with the students, teachers, and families, and I am grateful for the first responders who are on the scene.”
Smith wrote:
“My staff and I are monitoring the situation at Annunciation Catholic School. I’m grateful for the quick response of law enforcement as we continue to gather information. It’s the first week of school. These kids should not be fearing for their lives.
Multiple victims dead after shooting at Minneapolis Catholic school
Police responded to an active shooter incident at a Catholic school in south Minneapolis on Wednesday, with sources confirming there are multiple victims and that the shooter is now dead.
Children’s Minnesota hospital told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that it currently has five children “admitted to our hospital for care” and “will not share more details to respect the privacy of our patients and families”.
The city of Minneapolis’s official X account said there is “no active threat to the community at this time” as of 10:29am EST. “The shooter is contained. Stay away from the area to allow emergency personnel to help victims – W. 54th Street between Lyndale and Nicollet Ave,” the city wrote.
A justice department official confirmed to Reuters that three people were dead, including the shooter, and 20 injured.
Fox 9 also reported that the first call to law enforcement went through at 8.27am local time, shortly after a mass for students was slated to kick off at 8.15am.
The police department from Richfield, a suburb that borders Minneapolis, told Fox 9 there were 20 victims.
“A man dressed in all black and armed with a rifle was reported at the scene,” the Richfield police department said.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates.
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