A shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis killed two students during the first week of school. Police said shooter fired multiple rounds through the windows directly at children seated in the pews.
A gunman opened fire inside the Annunciation Catholic School during morning Mass in Minneapolis on Wednesday, killing two children and injuring 17 others. According to Police Chief Brian O’Hara, the attacker, armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, fired multiple rounds through the windows directly at children seated in the pews. Authorities believe the shooter later took his own life.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” O’Hara said, as per news agency AP. He added that a wooden plank had been used to block some side doors, while a smoke bomb was also recovered from the scene, though no explosives were found.
The children who lost their lives were aged 8 and 10. Dozens more students were present inside the church when the shooting began.
Residents living nearby reported hearing as many as 50 gunshots over a span of several minutes. According to AP, long-time parishioner Bill Bienemann recalled, “I was shocked. I said, ‘There’s no way that could be gunfire.’ There was so much of it. It was sporadic.”
His daughter Alexandra, a former student at the school, said she was left in tears after hearing the news. “It breaks my heart, makes me sick to my stomach, knowing that there are people I know who are either injured or maybe even killed. It doesn’t make me feel safe at all in this community that I have been in for so long,” she told the AP.
Students were evacuated to a designated “reunification zone” where families anxiously awaited their children. Many pupils, dressed in their school uniforms, were seen hugging parents and wiping away tears.
Minneapolis Governor Tim Walz Condemns 'Horrific' Crime, Trump Calls It 'Terrible Situation'
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, standing alongside the police chief, urged people not to reduce the tragedy to platitudes. “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church,” he said, as per AP.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described the events as “horrific” in a social media post. “I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence,” he wrote.
US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, "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!"
Hospitals across the city were flooded with patients. Hennepin Healthcare reported receiving 11 victims — nine children between the ages of 6 and 14, along with two adults. Four were rushed into surgery. Children’s Minnesota confirmed five other children had been admitted for treatment.
Law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels swiftly responded to the incident, which occurred in a quiet residential-commercial neighbourhood about eight kilometres south of downtown Minneapolis, AP reported.
The school, established in 1923, had resumed classes earlier this week. Wednesday morning’s Mass at 8:15 a.m. was meant to bring the entire community together. Just days earlier, the school had shared cheerful back-to-school images of children smiling and playing.
The attack came amid a spate of gun violence in the city. Within 24 hours before the church shooting, three separate incidents across Minneapolis left three people dead and several others injured.
0 Comments