Two children aged eight and 10 have been killed and 17 other people injured in a mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The shooter died at the scene and is believed to have acted alone, according to police.
As the community mourns the deadly attack on Wednesday morning, here is what we know so far about what happened:
The two people killed in the attack were children aged eight and 10. Their parents have been notified. Their identities have not yet been released.
Of the 17 people injured, 14 are children and three are adults. Two of the children are in critical condition, police said, but all of the remaining victims are expected to survive. “There is a wide range of injures, however,” said Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara.
The Hennepin county medical center said it had received 11 patients, including two adults and nine children, ranging in age from six to 14. Children’s Minnesota hospital told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that it had five children admitted.
The shooting took place just before 8.30am local time, during a worship service marking the first week of school. The assailant approached the outside of the building and began firing a rifle into the windows toward the children sitting in the pews.
A rifle, a shotgun and a pistol all had been lawfully purchased by the shooter, law enforcement officers said, adding that they believe the shooter acted alone. The assailant fatally shot themself behind the church.
The shooter has been named as Robin Westman, 23, by local news outlets. Westman reportedly grew up in Richfield, Minnesota, and their mother worked at Annunciation School.
The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, the bureau’s director Kash Patel has announced. Local police refused to be drawn on a motive for the attack.
Officials said the shooter had scheduled a manifesto to be released on YouTube. The police said it “appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings”. The content was taken down with the assistance of the FBI, the police chief added.
Donald Trump has ordered American flags to be flown at half-mast following the mass shooting until 31 August.
