A shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday has resulted in the deaths of two children and injuries to 17 others, 14 of whom are children.
The FBI is treating the attack as a hate crime against Catholics, with Director Kash Patel confirming the investigation is being pursued as an act of domestic terrorism, reports BBC.
The victims, both children aged 8 and 10, were shot while attending Mass at the city’s Annunciation Church on Wednesday morning when an assailant opened fire through the church’s windows. The shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly after the attack.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, expressed his sorrow over the deaths, stating he was “profoundly saddened” by the attack.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara condemned the violence, describing it as “a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” and calling the act of firing into a church full of children “absolutely incomprehensible.”
O’Hara also addressed questions about the FBI’s involvement, noting that the Minneapolis Police Department is leading the investigation, with federal agencies providing support, and vowed to follow the evidence wherever it leads. No clear motive has been revealed by the authorities.
The first calls to the police reporting the shooting came in just before 08:00 local time (GMT-5) on Wednesday. The gunman approached the side of the church, which also houses a school, firing several shots through the windows with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol. A smoke bomb was discovered at the scene by the police. Investigators are still examining whether the attacker fired inside the building or if all shots were from outside, as no bullet casings were found inside the church.
A 10-year-old survivor of the attack shared his experience in an interview, saying his friend saved his life by shielding him with his body. “I was like two seats away from the stained-glass window,” the boy explained. “My friend, Victor, saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.”
Victor supposedly got shot in the back and was taken to the hospital. “I was super scared for him but I think now he’s okay,” the boy added.
The Annunciation Church, located in southern Minneapolis, educates children between the ages of 5 and 14. Investigators revealed that the attacker’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, had worked at the school until her retirement in 2021, according to a school newsletter from 2016. Authorities discovered a note from Westman, which he intended to publish online during the shooting; however, this post has since been removed.
Governor Tim Walz reported that US President Donald Trump and his team had expressed their condolences and offered assistance.
Walz said the situation is “all too common – not just in Minnesota, but across the country”, adding that he hoped no community or school ever had to go through a day like this.
Trump later announced that the US flag at the White House would be lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect for the victims.