US School Shooting in Minneapolis Leaves Two Children Dead, 17 Injured

Investigators are working to determine the motive behind a deadly shooting at a church in Minneapolis, where a heavily-armed assailant opened fire on school children during a Mass on Wednesday, killing two pupils and injuring 17 others. The attack represents the latest in a series of violent incidents to shock the United States.

Details of the Incident

City Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated that the shooter sprayed bullets through the church windows as dozens of young students were attending a Mass marking the first week back at school.

“Two young children, ages eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews,” O’Hara said. Fourteen wounded children are expected to survive, alongside three elderly parishioners.

One 10-year-old survivor described being protected by a friend during the shooting: “I just ran under the pew, and then I covered my head. My friend Victor saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit,” he told CBS.

A joint statement from the school principal and the church pastor highlighted the swift response of the staff: “Within seconds of the start of shooting, our heroic staff moved students under the pews.”

The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

Patel identified the shooter as Robin Westman, legally born as Robert Westman, who changed their name in 2020 and identified as female. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Westman as “claiming to be transgender” and labelled the attack “unthinkable.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey urged against using the tragedy to target the transgender community: “Anybody who is using this… as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity.”

Frey also commented on the broader issue of firearms in the United States: “We’ve got more guns in this country than we have people… we can’t just say that this shouldn’t happen again and then allow it to happen again and again.”

A vigil for the victims drew over 600 attendees at a nearby school on Wednesday evening, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

One attendee, Louise Fowler, recalled knowing the suspect’s mother: “The family worked hard with this child who had a lot of problems,” she said, referring to Robin Westman, a former student at the school.

Online videos posted by the shooter revealed a multi-page manifesto, including names and drawings of firearms. Police Chief O’Hara noted that the manifesto appeared to place Westman at the scene, containing “disturbing writings,” which have since been removed.

“We don’t have a motive at this time,” O’Hara added, noting that investigators were executing three search warrants at residential addresses.

The shooting drew widespread condemnation:

• President Donald Trump ordered US flags at the White House to be lowered to half-staff.
• Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead the Catholic Church, expressed that he was “profoundly saddened” by the tragedy.
• Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda highlighted that the attack occurred a day after another school shooting near the city, stating: “We need an end to gun violence.”

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 287 mass shootings in the US so far this year, defined as shootings involving four or more victims, either dead or injured.

This incident underscores the persistent challenges of gun violence, school safety, and targeted attacks on religious communities in the United States.