The Minneapolis school shooter fired at children through church windows
More details are emerging after a
shooter opened fire at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis during a Mass attended by young students, killing
two children and wounding more than a dozen other people. The shooter died by suicide at the church, which is attached to a school building.
Eighteen other children and adults were injured in Wednesday's shooting, which occurred during a Mass marking the beginning of the school year.
Here's what we know about the shooting.
What happened at Annunciation Catholic Church?
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said in a Thursday news conference that the department received calls of shots fired at 8:27 a.m. Wednesday. A police officer arrived at the scene at 8:31 a.m. and was directed to the shooter's location by a parishioner, O'Hara said.
O'Hara said the shooter fired a rifle through church windows and was also armed with a shotgun and a pistol. The shooting occurred at the beginning of the Mass, O'Hara said. Three shotgun shells and 116 rifle rounds have been recovered, as well as one live round from the shooter's handgun that malfunctioned and became stuck in the weapon's chamber, O'Hara said Thursday.
A government official briefed on the investigation and a law enforcement source told CBS News that the shooter was wearing all black clothing.
The two young victims were killed while they sat in the pews, police said. Their families have identified them as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.
Eighteen others, including 15 children between the ages of 6 and 15, were injured, O'Hara said. The number of injured rose from 17 to 18 on Thursday when officials said another injured child, who was transported to an area hospital by a private vehicle, had been identified. The three injured adults were all parishioners in their 80s, O'Hara said on Wednesday afternoon.
Police immediately entered the church and attempted to provide first aid, O'Hara said. The injured were rushed to area hospitals.
Hennepin County Medical Center received 10 patients and said one adult and five children were in critical condition. One adult and three children were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Children's Minnesota said Thursday that it had discharged six patients and was treating one child. It did not share the statuses of the patients it was still treating. M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital said it had one pediatric patient in stable condition.
All of the injured children are expected to survive, O'Hara said Wednesday afternoon.
Families of Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski issue statements
The families of the two children who were killed — 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski — spoke out for the first time on Thursday, each issuing statements and asking the public to respect their privacy.
"Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play," Jesse Merkel, Fletcher's father, said Thursday while delivering the family's statement. "While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing. I pray that the other victim's family can find some semblance of the same."
Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin also issued a joint statement.
"Harper was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her," the statement read. "Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper's sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain."
Who was the shooter at Annunciation Catholic Church?
Three law enforcement sources told CBS News the shooter was Robin Westman, 23, from suburban Minneapolis. The shooter acted alone, O'Hara said. Westman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the back of the church.
The shooter recently bought the three guns legally and does not have any known criminal history, according to O'Hara. O'Hara told CBS News on Thursday that no law in Minnesota would have prevented Westman from buying the weapons.
The shooter visited the church weeks before the shooting and apparently conducted surveillance there, according to a Minnesota official and a federal law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation.
A former teacher
who said she once taught the shooter remembers them as an odd, different kid who was goofy, but at the same time, someone who needed help. She told CBS News she noticed signs of self-harm and reported it but doesn't know what happened after.
O'Hara said police executed search warrants at three residences connected to the shooter. "Additional firearms" were recovered during the searches, he said on Wednesday. O'Hara said
hundreds of pieces of evidence were recovered from the residences on Thursday. O'Hara told CBS News that police are also searching electronic devices.
Officials search for a motive
O'Hara said he could not comment on any motive. He told CBS News that the shooter was "deranged" and had an obsession with past shootings. Police have not identified a "triggering event" for the shooting, O'Hara said.
"This individual had a whole wide variety of hate to various individuals and groups," O'Hara told CBS News. He added in the Thursday news conference that the shooter wanted to obtain notoriety and was fascinated with previous mass shootings.
Investigators said they are aware of a video the shooter had scheduled to post on YouTube as the shooting occurred. The police chief described it as a manifesto that included "some disturbing writings." The YouTube account and its videos have been taken down, and FBI investigators and other law enforcement officials are looking into them, O'Hara said. CBS News has reached out to YouTube for comment.
Westman appears to have attended the school, according to CBS News' Confirmed team. Westman's mother worked as a parish secretary at the church, according to its
website, and as an administrative assistant at the school, according to a
newsletter. She retired from the church in 2021, according to a Facebook
post from the church.
A senior Minneapolis official briefed on the investigation told CBS News on Friday that investigators have spent hours interviewing the shooter's mother to determine if she was aware of any significant warning signs before the shooting. Ryan Garry, a lawyer representing her, said that she is "completely distraught" and "has no culpability whatsoever." All family members are being interviewed, the official said.
The shooting is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics, FBI Director Kash Patel said Wednesday
on social media.
In
an X post on Thursday, Patel said the shooter left "multiple anti-Catholic, anti-religious references," expressed "hatred and violence toward Jewish people" and "wrote an explicit call for violence against President Trump on a firearm magazine."
Officials react to church shooting
President Trump said on Truth Social that he had been "fully briefed on the tragic shooting" and said the White House would "continue to monitor this terrible situation."
"Please join me in praying for everyone involved," Mr. Trump said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Trump signed a proclamation calling for flags at the White House and other federal buildings to be flown at half-staff until Aug. 31 "as a mark of respect for the victims." The White House flags were lowered moments after the proclamation was signed.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he had been briefed on the shooting and was "praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence." Walz also said that he had spoken with Mr. Trump.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for change after the shooting.
"Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying," Frey said. "It was the first week of school, they were in a church. These were 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, and their parents should have the same kind of assurance."
Two children were killed and 18 other people were injured when the shooter opened fire at Annunciation Catholic Church during a Mass.
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