Two children are dead, and 17 others were injured during a mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Reports revealed that the shooting occurred during the morning mass at Annunciation Catholic School, which is located on the south side of Minneapolis. The two children killed were ages 8 and 10.
“During the Mass, a gunman approached on the outside, on the side of the building and began firing a rifle through the church windows towards the children sitting in the pews at Mass,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated, per NBC News.
O’Hara revealed that the shooter was armed with a shotgun, a rifle, and a pistol. O’Hara debunked rumors that an improvised explosive device was discounted at the school following the shooting. He noted that it wasn’t an explosive, but rather a “sort of firework.”
Of the 17 injured, 14 were children. Six children are being treated at Children’s Minnesota. Hennepin Healthcare revealed it is treating nine pediatric patients and two adults. Seven of the patients were listed in critical condition, with four of those “required the operating room.
Dr. Thomas Wyatt, chair of emergency medicine at Hennepin Healthcare, stated that the pediatric patients ranged in age from 6 to 14. None of the patients has been discharged, and no other fatalities have been reported.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives were among the first responders to the scene. They were in the area when the shooting took place.
The Suspect in the Minnesota Catholic School Shooting Was Found Deceased
Law enforcement confirmed that the gunman, who is said to be in his early 20s, was found dead in the back of the church with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
O’Hara told reporters the suspect, who has not been identified, legally obtained the firearms. It is also not yet known if the suspect had an extensive criminal history.
O’Hara described the situation as an “incomprehensible” act of cowardice.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke out about the situation. “You cannot put into words the gravity, tragedy, or absolute pain of this moment.”
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar also shared that she has spoken to one of her employees whose three children were at the Catholic school at the time of the shooting. One of the children, a seventh grader, witnessed her friends being shot.
“These kids are doing an all-school Mass and had to watch several of her friends get shot,” Klobuchar stated. “One in the back, one in the neck. And 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 Governor Tim Walz then released a statement. “I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.”