Gun attack at Minneapolis church-school leaves two children dead

International

GUNFIRE shattered the quiet of a Minneapolis church-school on Wednesday morning, leaving two children dead and 17 others injured during Mass, police said.

Police said the victims included 14 children, all of whom are expected to survive. The children killed were 8 and 10 years old.

The gunman, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities said he had no significant criminal history.

“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a BBC report, calling it an incomprehensible display of cruelty and cowardice.

The shooting began just before 8 a.m. at Annunciation Church in southern Minneapolis. The church also houses a school in a residential neighborhood that serves children ages 5 to 14.

Police said Westman fired dozens of rounds through the stained-glass windows using a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. A smoke bomb was also recovered.

Investigators are working to determine whether any shots were fired from inside, as no bullet casings were found within the church.

The FBI is treating the case as both a hate crime against Catholics and an act of domestic terrorism. Authorities confirmed they intercepted and removed a note Westman had scheduled to post online during the attack.

Neighbors reported hearing a rapid burst of gunfire, with one resident recalling the moment it became clear a shooting was underway.

Inside the church, children scrambled for safety. A 10-year-old survivor later recounted that his classmate shielded him from the bullets by lying on top of him, suffering a gunshot wound to the back in the process.

“My friend, Victor, saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit,” the boy said in the same report. His friend was taken to the hospital.

Westman’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, was a former staff member at the school, according to a 2016 newsletter. She retired in 2021, according to a Facebook post.

Governor Tim Walz said President Donald Trump had offered condolences and federal support. He noted that shootings of this nature have become all too common across the country and expressed hope that no other community would have to endure a similar tragedy.

The White House later announced that flags would be flown at half-staff in memory of the victims.(MyTVCebu)