Tragedy Strikes Minneapolis: Shooting at Catholic Church Leaves Two Dead and 17 Injured
MINNEAPOLIS — A shooter opened fire with a rifle through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis and struck children celebrating Mass during the first week of school, killing two and wounding 17 people in an act of violence the police chief called “absolutely incomprehensible.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter — armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol — approached the side of the church and shot dozens of rounds through the windows toward the children sitting in the pews during Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School just before 8:30 a.m. Police believe the shooter then died by suicide.
The children who died were 8 and 10, and 14 other kids were among the wounded, the chief said. Dozens of youngsters were inside.
Police said the injured children were ages 6 to 15, and they are all expected to survive. The three adults who were injured are parishioners in their 80s, officials said.
Eyewitness Accounts and Investigation
Fifth-grader Weston Halsne told reporters he ducked for the pews, covering his head, shielded by a friend who was lying on top of him. His friend was hit, he said.
“I was super-scared for him, but I think now he’s okay,” the 10-year-old said, adding that he was praying for the other hospitalized children and adults.
Halsne’s grandfather, Michael Simpson, said the violence during Mass on the third day of school left him wondering whether God was watching over.
“I don’t know where He is,” Simpson said.
In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.
Official Response and Reactions
The police chief said the shooter was in their early 20s, did not have an extensive known criminal history and is believed to have acted alone, but did not release the name or information on possible connections to the school.
The police chief said a wooden plank was placed to barricade some of the side doors, and that authorities found a smoke bomb but no explosives at the scene.
“The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” O’Hara said at a news conference as church bells rang out. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey lamented that the violence had forever changed the students’ families and the city along with them.
A parent hugs her son during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, Minn., Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)
Richard Tsong-Taatarii / AP
“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now,” Frey said. “These kids were literally praying.”
Police Response and Rescue Efforts
The police chief said officers immediately responded to reports of the shooting, entered the church, rendered first aid and rescued some of the children hiding throughout the building as other emergency responders arrived.
Amid a heavy uniformed law enforcement presence later Wednesday morning, children in dark green uniforms trickled out of the school with adults, giving lingering hugs and wiping away tears.
