A shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis has left two children dead and nearly 20 other people injured, and the suspect is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to local officials.
Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews during Mass, police said. Seventeen others were injured — 14 of whom are children, including two who are in critical condition.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said “all remaining victims are expected to survive.”
The shooter was identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman by multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the matter, NBC News reported.
Westman had posted videos online referencing suicide and “extremely violent thoughts and ideas,” according to the law enforcement officials. They said she left behind an apology to her family and a handwritten sketch of a church’s layout, though it wasn’t clear that the sketch was of Annunciation Catholic School.
At a midday news conference, O’Hara said the assailant — wearing black clothing and armed with legally purchased weapons, including a rifle, shotgun and pistol — approached Annunciation Catholic School and fired dozens of rounds through windows.
Calling the attack “an act of evil,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he is “so deeply saddened, and I’m so sorry to the families I know are suffering right now.”
Don’t say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now — these kids were literally praying.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
He added: “Don’t say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now — these kids were literally praying.”
First responders administered first aid, along with rescuing hiding children and rushing victims to nearby hospitals. One of the hospitals, Children’s Minnesota, said late Wednesday afternoon that four of the seven children admitted there after the shooting have now been discharged.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told MNSBC that one of her longtime employees had children enrolled at the school. “These kids are doing an all-school Mass and had to watch several of her friends get shot — one in the back, one in the neck,” Klobuchar told MSNBC. “They all got down under the pews and she — her daughter, of course, was not shot — but her daughter ended up being the one to tell one of the dads of one of the other kids that his daughter had been shot.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wrote on Bluesky that he had been briefed on the shooting and was “praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.”
President Donald Trump said he has spoken with Walz after announcing earlier that he had been fully briefed. “The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation,” he wrote.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from nearby St. Paul also responded to the incident. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said they are aware of the situation.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency is “investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.” The Minneapolis Police Department has yet to announce a motive. Annunciation Catholic School in southwest Minneapolis teaches children from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. Monday marked its first week of school, and an all-school Mass was being held Wednesday. In a telegram sent to Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Minneapolis, Pope Leo XIV expressed “his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected by this terrible tragedy, especially the families now grieving the loss of a child.” Wednesday’s shooting is the most recent of several notable violent incidents in the Minneapolis area this year. In June, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in what officials have described as a politically motivated attack at their home, and the couple’s golden retriever. This week, Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, who authorities say was shot by the same assailant, made his first public appearance since the attack, at a Democratic National Committee meeting in Minneapolis. Hoffman was shot nine times, and his wife, Yvette, was shot 10 times. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support. Calling the attack “an act of evil,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he is “so deeply saddened, and I’m so sorry to the families I know are suffering right now.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for MS NOW. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
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