Two children were killed and more than a dozen others were injured following a shooting at a Minneapolis church.
The incident took place at the Annunciation Catholic Church, and authorities identified the suspect as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who had no prior criminal history. The shooter reportedly used three guns, which were all bought legally, to carry out his crime.
Minneapolis Church Shooting
So far, officials have not yet determined a motive for the tragic incident, but police are now looking into video footage that the gunman allegedly posted online. The church shooting comes during a difficult time for Minnesota and the Greater Minneapolis area.
Before the shooting, three people were killed in three different shootings within 13 hours. There was also a gunman in June who targeted the homes of two state politicians in the Minneapolis suburbs. The latter attack resulted in the deaths of Democratic House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, according to BBC.
Gov. Tim Walz attended the funeral for the Hortmans weeks before and is now at the scene of another tragic incident. He admits that similar situations have become "all too common" in Minnesota. He added that he will try to work out what they can do to prevent them from happening.
On top of the two children killed, 17 others were injured, but they are all expected to recover and survive. Police Chief Brian O'Hara added that after the shooting, they found the suspect dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The police chief noted that 14 of the injured victims were children aged six to 15, and that the remaining three were adult parishioners who were in their 80s. The suspect's driver's license showed that Westman was a female born on June 17, 2002, and applied for a name change in 2020, ABC News reported.
A Tragic Incident
The tragic shooting at the Minneapolis church started shortly before 8:30 a.m. when Westman approached the side of the building. He then fired through the windows toward the children and other worshippers inside.
The police chief said that the suspect fired dozens of rounds into the building, calling the shooting a "deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping."
Shortly after the first shots were fired, the "heroic staff moved students under the pews," the Annunciation Parish and School said. The students and staff were later evacuated after it was determined that it was safe to do so.
A 10-year-old boy who survived the attack, Weston Halsne, was sitting a few feet away from the stained glass windows when the shooter opened fire into the church. He said that his friend, Victor, protected him by lying on top but got hit, as per CBS News.
