Two children were killed and 17 others injured in a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in south Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday morning. Police identified the gunman as 23-year-old Robin Westman of Richfield, who fatally shot himself behind the church after opening fire on students and worshippers during a school mass.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that the victims were an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, both struck while sitting in church pews during the liturgy. Fourteen of the 17 injured were children, two of whom remain in critical condition. “The coward who fired these shots ultimately took his own life,” O’Hara said during a press briefing, calling the attack “a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshiping.”

The incident unfolded just before 8:30 a.m., when Westman approached the building and fired a rifle into the windows at children attending the first week of school mass. He was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. Court records show Westman legally changed his birth name from Robert to Robin in January 2020. His mother was reportedly employed at Annunciation in some capacity.

Mayor Jacob Frey, visibly shaken, said: “Children are dead. There are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragedy, or the pain of this situation. Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church.”

Hennepin County Medical Center received 11 victims ranging in age from six to 14, including nine children. Four required surgery but all survived, according to Dr. Thomas Wyatt, chair of emergency medicine. Children’s Minnesota hospital also admitted five young patients but withheld further details to protect their privacy.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz confirmed he had been briefed and later posted: “Minnesota is heartbroken. From the officers responding, to the clergy and teachers providing comfort, to the hospital staff saving lives, we will get through this together.” President Donald Trump also stated he had been “fully briefed on the tragic shooting” and asked the nation to pray for the victims.

Parents described the chaos inside the church. Renee Lego, whose children are in fifth and eighth grade at Annunciation, said: “Both my kids have blood on them. It’s just horrific — so cowardly. This person knew this was our first all-school mass of the year. It was obviously planned.” Michael Simpson told the Associated Press that his 10-year-old grandson Weston was grazed by a bullet: “It’s just really hard for me to take in,” he said.

Annunciation Catholic School serves children from preschool through eighth grade. Students had returned only two days earlier for the start of the school year. The attack marks the fourth shooting in Minneapolis in a 24-hour span. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, more than 140 shootings have been reported at elementary and secondary schools in 2025 so far.

Federal and state authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security, are monitoring the investigation. Police units with K9 teams swept the surrounding neighborhood following the attack as the community grappled with one of the deadliest school shootings in Minnesota’s history.