A shooter opened fire Wednesday morning during Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing two children and injuring 18 other people before dying by suicide, officials said.
The shooting happened at Annunciation Catholic School at the start of the third day of school.
Of the 18 injured, police said 15 were children. Most of the victims are expected to survive, authorities said.
The shooting was the latest in a long list of attacks targeting students since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado.
Here are some of the things to know about the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School.
What do we know about the victims?
Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed while sitting in a church that was packed with teachers, parents and schoolchildren.
Fletcher's father tearfully read a statement outside the Church of Annunciation on Thursday. Jesse Merkel said Fletcher loved his family and friends and enjoyed fishing, cooking and playing any sport.
“Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life,” his father said.
In a statement, Harper's parents remembered their daughter as a “bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her.”
“No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain,” Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin wrote. “We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.”
The adults who were injured were three parishioners in their 80s, officials said.
Officials estimate there were nearly 200 students inside the church at the time.
What do we know about the shooter?
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter approached the side of the church and fired more than 100 rifle rounds through the windows toward the children inside before dying by suicide.
He said the shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, did not have any previous criminal history or state-ordered commitments for mental health. Authorities said Westman acted alone and had legally purchased the weapons recently.
The suspect was a former Annunciation student and had previously been a member of the church, O’Hara said. Westman’s mother had worked at the church for five years, retiring in 2021, according to a church Facebook post that year. A former classmate told The Associated Press that Westman was quiet and seemed to resent school as an eighth grader there seven years ago.
Federal officials referred to Westman as transgender, and the mayor decried hatred being directed at “our transgender community.” Westman’s gender identity wasn’t clear. In 2020, a judge approved a petition, signed by Westman’s mother, asking for a name change from Robert to Robin, saying the petitioner “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
What do we know about the motive for the attack?
The alleged shooter released at least two videos on YouTube before the channel was taken down Wednesday. In one, the alleged shooter shows a cache of weapons and ammunition, some with such phrases as “kill Donald Trump” and “Where is your God?” written on them.
The person holds up a letter to relatives, sings the word “tomorrow” and says, “I’m sorry to my family ... that’s the only people I’m sorry to.”
A second video shows the alleged shooter pointing to two outside windows in what appears to be a drawing of the church, and then stabbing it with a long knife.
O'Hara said investigators have searched three residences connected to Westman and have gathered hundreds of pieces of evidence, though they are still not sure what motivated the attack. He said the Westman had a fascination with the plans of other mass shooters.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said the shooter was “obsessed” with the idea of killing children and expressed hate toward almost every group. The only group the shooter did not hate was “mass murderers and shooters,” he said.
What do we know about the school?
The school, which goes from pre-K to eighth grade, had 391 students enrolled for the 2023-2024 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
It is in the city’s Windom neighborhood, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis.
The school’s website says teachers “focus on Christian values and civic-mindedness.” Principal Matt DeBoer said that, during the shooting, adults protected the children, with older children protecting younger ones.
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Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.
R.j. Rico, The Associated Press
