A tragic mass shooting unfolded in Minneapolis on Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on children and staff attending Mass at Annunciation Catholic School, killing two students aged 8 and 10 and wounding 17 others before taking his own life.
Authorities said the assailant, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, fired through the chapel windows with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol as children sat in pews during the service. Police later found that two chapel doors had been barricaded from the outside. A smoke bomb was also recovered at the scene, and investigators are reviewing online videos posted by the shooter to determine motive.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
The FBI confirmed it is investigating the attack as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.
Local hospitals reported treating 14 children and two adults, many with gunshot wounds. Witnesses described scenes of panic inside the chapel. Fifth grader Weston Halsne recounted how his friend was shot while shielding him: “The shots were like, right next to me. I think I got like gunpowder on my neck.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey delivered an emotional statement: “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.”
Public records revealed that Westman’s mother once worked as an administrative assistant at the church. Police were seen at the family home several miles away, but relatives declined to comment.
This was the 146th school shooting in the U.S. this year according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, underscoring the relentless toll of gun violence on American schools.
President Donald Trump ordered flags across the nation to be flown at half-staff in mourning.
The attack comes amid a recent surge in violent incidents across Minneapolis, including three unrelated shootings in the past 24 hours, one at a Jesuit high school. The city, still grappling with the aftermath of the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, has struggled with rising crime and a strained police force.
As the community reels from this horrific attack, investigators continue to probe Westman’s background and motives, while families mourn the loss of two young children whose lives were cut short inside their place of worship.