Two children, aged eight and ten, were killed and 17 others were hurt when a gunman opened fire on a Minneapolis church during Mass as parishioners prayed.
The terror in Minneapolis began around 8:30 a.m. when a gunman stood outside Annunciation Catholic School and started to shoot through the windows. Fourteen other children, ages six through 15, were injured. Three adults in their 80s were also hurt in the mass shooting. The gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” O’Hara said. “The sheer cruelty and cowardice, firing into a church full of children, is absolutely incomprehensible.”
“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now, these kids were literally praying,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. “It was the first week of school, they were in a church.”
Officials have identified the shooter as Robin Westman, formerly known as Robert Westman. Westman has “no prior criminal history,” O’Hara said. Westman appears to have attended the school, and Westman’s mother also worked at the Annunciation School before retiring in 2021, KARE 11 reports.
Investigators found that the three weapons used in the shooting were purchased legally by the shooter. Officers are also executing search warrants at three residences connected to the shooter. Westman also posted a “manifesto” on YouTube that has since been taken down, according to O’Hara.
“We're also aware of a manifesto that the shooter had timed to be released on YouTube,” O’Hara said. “This manifesto appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings. That content has since been taken down with the assistance of the FBI and now remains under active review by our investigators.”
The Minneapolis mayor also said that he has “heard about a whole lot of hate being directed at our trans community.” Dakota County court documents indicate that Westman’s mother requested a name change for her child in 2019 because Westman identified as female.
“Anybody who is using this as an using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity,” Frey said. “We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone. We should be operating from a place of love for our kids.”
The shooting is now being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
As he described how the shooting played out, O’Hara confirmed that some of the church’s doors had been barricaded.
“The shooter approached on one side of the church building, and on that side, at least two doors, it appears there had been a two-by-four placed,” O’Hara said. “So not all of the doors around the building, but on the side the shooter did fire.”
Investigators found a “smoke bomb” outside the church near where the gunman opened fire. O’Hara described it as a “sort of firework that would release smoke.”
Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis has confirmed it is treating 10 of the victims, including eight children ages six through 14. As of 12:15 p.m., one adult and six children were in critical condition, while one adult and two children had non-life threatening injuries, the hospital said. Children’s Minnesota told MSNBC that it is also treating six children. Seven were initially admitted, but one has since been discharged, the hospital said.
Some of the wounded have since been released from area hospitals, the Church of the Annunciation said on Wednesday afternoon.
The church said its “heroic staff” moved students underneath pews “within seconds” of the gunfire. One parent said he was in the back pew during Mass when the gunfire erupted, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
“He just pepper-sprayed through the stained-glass windows into the building, 50 to 100 shots,” the parent said.
A 10-year-old student told KARE that his friend was shot while shielding him from bullets.
“He laid on top of me, but he got hit,” he said.
Zuheir Safe told local outlet WCCO his eight-year-old granddaughter is among the injured. When asked what he would do when he sees her again, he replied: “I will give her a hug. That’s all.”
Renee Lego, a parent to two children who attend Annunciation Catholic School, told the Tribune her son initially thought the gunshots were fireworks or a gas explosion until he saw people falling. Lego said she heard about the incident after another parent called her.
“Both my kids have blood on them,” Lego 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.”
Neighbors quickly reacted to the shooting. Nearby resident Pat Scallen told CNN he ran to the church when he heard gunfire. Scallen arrived before police and EMTs, so he stayed with some of the injured children until help arrived.
“They needed someone and they were in distress,” he said. “I felt it was important to calm them down and let them know that someone was with them and help was on the way.”
Neighbor PJ Mudd told CNN he also ran to the church when he realized there had been a shooting. He saw “bullets all along the path” to the church. Andy Winchell, another nearby resident, told the Tribune he heard gunfire that went on “for a minute, plus.”
A Minneapolis hospital confirmed it is treating five children who were injured in the shooting, the Associated Press reports. Shortly after the shooting, police officers were escorting parents and children into the school’s basement, the Tribune reports.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called on the community to stand by the families affected by Wednesday’s shooting.
“Those families are suffering immense pain right now,” Frey said. “Think of this as if it were your own. Every one of us needs to be wrapping our arms around these families.”
Governor Tim Walz said he was briefed on the shooting and confirmed the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and State Patrol were on the scene. The ATF and FBI also responded.
“I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information,” he said. “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.”
President Donald Trump also said he has been fully briefed on the shooting. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem similarly confirmed her agency is monitoring the incident.
“I have been fully briefed on the tragic shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!”
Trump has since ordered all flags to fly at half-staff as “a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence” in Minneapolis.
