2 children dead in 'horrific' shooting at Minneapolis church school

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — A gunman killed two children, ages 8 and 10 years old, Wednesday morning as he sprayed dozens of rounds into a Minneapolis church during a Catholic mass marking the first week of school, according to city officials.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said 17 people were injured, including 14 children, two of whom are in critical condition.

“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” O’Hara said at a Wednesday news conference. “The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.”

The shooter, identified as Robin Westman, 23, of Richfield, Minnesota, killed himself in the Annunciation Church parking lot in south Minneapolis.

Witnesses described Westman as wearing all black when he approached the side of the church and began to shoot those gathered for mass through the stained-glass windows.

Law enforcement said Westman carried and fired a rifle, shotgun and a pistol.

The church is also home to a private Catholic school with about 370 students in preschool through eighth grade.

Westman acted alone, and police are working to determine a motive, according to O’Hara. He stressed that the investigation was in its early stages.

Officers responded to reports of gunfire at the church around 8:30 a.m. CT. The shooting began roughly 15 minutes after the mass started.

Governor Tim Walz said on X, “I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.”

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene.

In response to the mass shooting, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he did not want to hear about thoughts and prayers.

“These kids were literally praying,” he said. “It was the first week of school. They were in a church. These are kids that should be learning with their friends. They should be playing on the playground. They should be able to go to school or church in peace, without the fear or risk of violence, and their parents should have the same kind of assurance.”

The incident follows a shooting next to Cristo Rey High School in Minneapolis yesterday that killed one and injured six.

Frey asked the public to give first responders space as they deal with the shooting, in a post on X.

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that he was briefed on the “tragic shooting” and that the White House would continue to monitor the situation.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Wednesday that his agency is investigating the shooting as domestic terrorism and a hate crime.

Minnesota state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, said they were sending their support to Wednesday’s school shooting victims. The senator and his wife were both victims of gun violence after an alleged assassin targeted them dressed as a police officer at their home earlier this year.

The couple said they understood the impacts of “mindless acts of violence and senseless attacks.”