A shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, US on Wednesday, has left two children dead and 17 others injured, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirms.
The FBI stated that the shooting is being investigated as an anti-Catholic hate crime.
“The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X.
The two children, aged eight and 10, were murdered when an attacker opened fire through the windows of the city’s Annunciation Church on Wednesday morning as children were celebrating Mass.
The attacker, who died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was named by police as 23-year-old Robin Westman.
Authorities have not yet revealed the alleged motivation for the attack.
On Wednesday night, a steady trickle of mourners arrived, many of whom left flowers.
There was shock and fury that this had occurred at the outset of a church Mass to kick off the new school year.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, was among those who paid respect to the young victims, stating that the tragedy left him “profoundly saddened”.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara informed reporters, “This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping.”
“The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” he said.
Police began receiving reports of a shooting shortly before 08:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
The attacker approached the side of the church, which also serves as a school, and fired dozens of shots through the windows using three firearms: a rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun. Police discovered a smoke bomb at the scene.
Officials are investigating if the suspect shot inside the church or if all of the shots were fired from outside, adding that no bullet casings were discovered inside.
Patrick Scallen, a neighbour, told the BBC that after hearing the gunfire, he hurried towards the scene and observed three children exiting the church, one of whom was a girl with a head wound.
“She kept saying, ‘Please hold my hand, don’t leave me,’ and I said I wasn’t going anywhere.”
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A 10-year-old child who survived the attack told CBS station WCCO that his friend protected him from gunshots by lying on top of him.
“I was like two seats away from the stained glass window,” he said. “My friend, Victor, saved me though, because he lay on top of me, but he got hit.”
“My friend got hit in the back; he went to the hospital… I was super scared for him, but I think now he’s okay,” he said.
The Annunciation Church, located in a neighbourhood region of southern Minneapolis, teaches children ages 5 to 14.
Mary Grace Westman, the attacker’s mother, had previously worked at the school, according to a 2016 school newsletter. According to a Facebook post, she will retire from her position in 2021.
Police discovered a note that Westman planned to post online at the time of the shooting. Investigators have now deleted the post.
Westman formally changed his name from Robert to Robin in 2020, according to Minnesota court records. In his application, the judge wrote, “The minor child identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke at a press conference on Wednesday, defending the transgender community against prejudice in the wake of the attack.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Westman as a “man claiming to be transgender” in her own update, while Patel referred to Westman as “a male” in his post on X.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz stated that President Donald Trump and his team have sent their “deep condolences” and offered assistance.
He stated that the situation was “all too common – not just in Minnesota, but across the country,” and expressed his desire that no community or school would ever have to go through a day like this.
Trump then stated that the US flag would be flown at half-mast at the White House as a mark of respect for the victims.
