An attacker armed with a rifle, shotgun, and handgun opened fire through stained-glass windows during a morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday, killing an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy and injuring 17 others before fatally shooting himself, police said. The violence erupted about 8:30 a.m. on the Southwest Minneapolis campus during the first week of the new school year, when more than 300 students and staff were gathered for worship, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
How the Attack Unfolded
Investigators say the shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin M. Westman, parked behind the church, barred two side doors, and fired 50–100 rounds from outside, shattering windows and striking children seated in the pews. Westman then entered a rear vestibule and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound as officers converged on the building.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” O’Hara told reporters. “The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible”.
Victims and Medical Response
Fourteen of the wounded are children; seven were listed in critical condition at area hospitals Wednesday afternoon. Surgeons at Hennepin County Medical Center operated on four patients, including a 10-year-old boy shot in the head, hospital officials said. One child was transferred to M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital in stable condition, while Children’s Minnesota received six pediatric patients.
Shooter’s Background and Possible Motive
Westman, a former Annunciation student from nearby Richfield, posted online videos referencing “extremely violent thoughts,” suicide, and sketches of the church interior, police said. Authorities have not identified a clear motive and said Westman had no significant criminal record.
Community and Official Reactions
Mayor Jacob Frey called the attack “an act of evil,” adding, “These kids were literally praying … they should be able to go to school or church in peace”.
Governor Tim Walz said he was “praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence”.
President Donald Trump ordered flags flown at half-staff nationwide and pledged federal assistance.
Bishop Kevin Kenney of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis visited families at HCMC, offering prayers and counseling.
School Shootings in 2025
Education Week counts seven U.S. school shootings with injuries or deaths this year before Wednesday’s attack; none matched the Annunciation toll. Since 2018, there have been 229 school shootings, including 51 in 2022, the worst year on record.
Security Measures and Investigation
Hundreds of officers, FBI agents, and ATF specialists swept the campus after initial reports of explosives; none were found, though police recovered a smoke-grenade-like device. Detectives are tracing the origin of Westman’s three firearms and reviewing social-media writings for evidence of planning or ideology.
Voices From Inside
Fifth-grader Weston L., 10, said he was “two feet away” from the window when bullets pierced the glass. “My friend got hit in the back … I was super scared for him,” the boy told KSTP-TV with his grandfather’s permission.
City officials have opened a family resource center and announced the availability of trauma counseling for students and parishioners. The Archdiocese said classes are suspended through Labor Day while security protocols are reassessed. Federal and state lawmakers renewed calls for stricter gun-safety legislation, but passage remains uncertain in a divided Congress.
As Minneapolis mourns, investigators will try to understand why a former student returned to his childhood church to unleash deadly violence—and what can be done to prevent the next attack on children at prayer.