What was supposed to be a fifth grader’s first week back in school was instead spent hiding under church pews as a shooter opened fire, killing two and wounding 17 others.
Ten-year-old Weston Halsne was hearing Mass with his classmates at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning when shots began to pierce through the building’s stained glass windows.
“The shots were right next to me,” Halsne told KARE 11, an NBC affiliate in Minneapolis. “The first one, I was like, ‘What is that? I thought it was just something. Then I heard it again. I just ran under the pew, and then I covered my head.”
Halsne made it out of the “super scary” scenario unscathed thanks to a heroic friend.
“My friend Victor saved me, though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit,” Halsne said, adding that his pal was taken to a hospital for his injuries. “I was super scared for him, but I think now he’s okay.”
Halsne said he and his friends took shelter in the school gym until police arrived. The 10-year-old said they regularly had active shooter drills in school, though they’ve never practiced in the church, “so it was way different.”
“My mom was waiting outside of the church when it happened,” he recalled. “I was super happy because I was scared that I wasn’t gonna see her. I didn’t know what was happening, really. I was just in shock.”
Not everyone made it out alive, however. Two young kids, aged 8 and 10, were pronounced dead at the scene, while 14 other children, aged 6 to 15, were injured. Three adults were also wounded.
Halsne offered a simple message to his classmates in recovery: “I hope you’re okay. And I’m praying for you.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who was armed with a shotgun, rifle, and a pistol. The shooter later took their own life in the parking lot.
Investigators are still trying to pin down a motive behind the “absolutely incomprehensible” shooting, O’Hara said.
“Minnesota is heartbroken,” Governor Tim Walz wrote in an X post. “We will get through this together. Hug your kids close.”
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance said the White House was monitoring the situation as they sought prayers for the victims.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was incensed when he faced the media.
“These were American families, and the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary,” he said. “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.”
Several other Democratic politicians echoed Frey’s sentiments.
“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying.”Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks after at least two people were killed in a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, sources said. https://t.co/DDDRKlgkKo pic.twitter.com/Ai1faAXKZO
— ABC News (@ABC) August 27, 2025
“These children were probably praying when they were shot to death at catholic school. Don’t give us your f—ing thoughts and prayers,” Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost said. “Trump got rid of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Trump gutted the resources that were in place to keep our communities safe.”
Arizona Rep. Yassamin Ansari said, “No child should fear gun violence their first week of school.”
“Only in the United States of America, it happens again. And again. And again. ‘Thoughts and prayers’ are an insult. We need laws that keep kids alive,” she wrote on X.
“A 5th grader is having to report out about a shooting he just experienced,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said of Halsne. “Wake up, America. This is not ok.”
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