On Wednesday, Aug. 27, in Minneapolis, 23-year-old Robin Westman opened fire on a group of students and adults attending morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church.
Multiple shots were fired from outside of the church, breaking through the windows and hitting those inside. Two children, Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, who had been attending Mass, were killed during the attack. Another child, Sophia Forchas, was hospitalized after being shot in the head. She has since been reported to be out of critical condition.
Other children who were hospitalized with various injuries have all been released. Westman reportedly died by suicide during the attack.
The shooting sent shockwaves through the local community and nationwide.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded, “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.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, “The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.”
Archbishop William E. Lori, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, offered condolences on behalf of the Church, for the innocent lives lost and immense grief caused by this heartbreaking tragedy.
“As a Church, we are following the tragic news from Annunciation School in Minneapolis with heartbreaking sadness,” he said. “Whenever one part of the Body of Christ is wounded, we feel the pain as if it were our very own children. Let us all beg the Lord for the protection and healing of the entire Annunciation family.”