Two children, aged eight and ten, were killed and 17 others injured after a gunman opened fire on schoolchildren attending Mass at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
Police Chief, Brian O’Hara, disclosed that 14 of the injured were children, with two listed in critical condition.
Despite the severity, officials expect all the wounded children to survive.
The attacker, identified as Robin Westman, was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol.
Dressed in black, Westman positioned outside Annunciation Church and fired dozens of rounds through the windows while children sat in the pews.
The gunman later took their own life and, according to investigators, acted alone. Additional firearms were later recovered from residences linked to Westman.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” O’Hara told reporters. “The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.”
Although Westman had no significant criminal history, authorities are reviewing videos the suspect posted online. Records also reveal that Westman legally changed their name from Robert to Robin in 2020 after identifying as female, a detail that has already sparked political debate.
“Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainise our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
The K-12 School Shooting Database reports this as the 146th school-related shooting in the United States since January, underscoring the country’s ongoing struggle with gun violence. Efforts to enact stricter firearm laws continue to face resistance from conservative groups and politicians.
Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said the bureau is treating the case as a possible hate crime aimed at Catholics.
“I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said in a statement.
Eyewitness accounts underscored the terror of the attack. Fifth grader Weston Halsne told CBS News that a friend tried to shield him and was struck by a bullet.
“The shots were like, right next to me,” he recalled. “I think I got like gunpowder on my neck.”
Nearby resident Bill Bienemann, a longtime attendee at Annunciation Church, told the Associated Press, “I was shocked. I said, ‘There’s no way that could be gunfire.’ There was so much of it. It was sporadic.”
The tragedy drew international reaction. Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, described it as a “terrible tragedy” and said he was offering prayers for the victims during this “extremely difficult time.”
US President Donald Trump also reacted, calling it a “terrible situation.” Writing on Truth Social, he said, “I have been fully briefed on the tragic shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The FBI quickly responded, and they are on the scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!”
