The principal of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, lauded the bravery of his students in the wake of a deadly mass shooting that killed two children and injured 17 others on Wednesday.
“I love you. You’re so brave and I’m so sorry this happened to us today,” Principal Matthew DeBoer said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “Within seconds of this situation beginning, our teachers were heroes. Children were ducked down. Adults were protecting children. Older children were protecting younger children.”
“As we heard earlier, it could have been significantly worse without their heroic action,” the principal said.
Why It Matters
Wednesday’s is the latest in a spate of mass shootings that have taken place across the country this year. A mass shooting is defined as an attack that kills four or more people, not including the shooter.
There have been at least 286 mass shootings in the U.S. as of Wednesday, according to data compiled by CNN and the Gun Violence Archive.
What To Know
The suspect in Wednesday’s shooting fired a rifle through the windows of Annunciation Catholic Church while students were attending their first Mass of the new school year. The shooting killed an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old who were sitting in the pews, police said.
Police said the shooter, who has been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after carrying out the attack.
Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara also said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that investigators are working to “develop a motive from” a “manifesto” the shooter posted that was timed to be published on YouTube.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
The post Annunciation Principal Says Older Kids Protected Younger Ones Amid Shooting appeared first on Newsweek.
