An assailant on Wednesday fired through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis, killing an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old and injuring 17 others, the police said.
The attacker then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, said at a news conference. Of the 17 people injured, 14 were children.
The authorities have identified the attacker as Robin Westman, 23, who is believed to be a former student at the school, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. The F.B.I. is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, Kash Patel, the agency’s director, said on social media.
The police have not yet determined a motive. The suspect’s social media accounts contain videos of diary entries that describe the killing of children and a drawing of the church’s sanctuary. The videos also show weapons, bullets and what appear to be explosive devices.Here’s what we know.
When did the attack happen?
The shooting took place at about 8:30 a.m. at Annunciation Catholic Church in south Minneapolis, which has a school for children in prekindergarten through eighth grade. The students had been observing an all-school Mass, an annual tradition for the new academic year, which began Monday.
Witnesses described harrowing scenes inside the church. Ellie Mertens, a 25-year-old youth minister who said she had been sitting in a pew with children, said that bullets came ripping through a window, and that the school’s principal instructed everyone to get down. The shooting lasted for about two minutes, she said.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, said that students dived to the ground between pews for safety, citing the account of her former staff member’s child, who was in the church. “She watched a child get shot in the stomach and another in the neck,” Ms. Klobuchar said.
Chief O’Hara said that most of the shooting happened outside the building and that at least two doors of the church had been barricaded from the outside. He estimated that the assailant fired dozens of rounds from three weapons — a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol — before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shooter had purchased all three weapons lawfully, Chief O’Hara said.
Who was killed?
The two children killed in the shooting were 8 and 10 years old. Both died in the pews of the church, the authorities said. Their names have not been released.
At least 14 other children between the ages of 6 and 15 were shot, according to Chief O’Hara. Three adults in their 80s who were attending the Mass were also wounded, he said.
How have officials reacted?
The mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, said at a news conference outside the school on Wednesday that he had no words for the “gravity, tragedy or absolute pain of this situation.” Mr. Frey, who has long advocated stricter gun laws, rejected the “thoughts and prayers” sentiment that officials often fall back on after mass shootings. “Don’t just say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now,” he said. “These kids were literally praying.”
In a post on social media, Gov. Tim Walz said that “Minnesota is heartbroken.” He added: “From the officers responding, to the clergy and teachers providing comfort, to the hospital staff saving lives, we will get through this together.”
Mr. Walz said that he had spoken by phone with President Trump, who said on social media that he had been briefed on the shooting and was “praying for everyone involved.” Mr. Trump signed a proclamation lowering flags to half-staff until Sunday in tribute to the victims.
Anushka Patil is a Times reporter covering breaking and developing news around the world.
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