A parent hugs her son during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, United States, August 27, 2025. RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII / AP
A gunman opened fire on Wednesday, August 27, on schoolchildren attending church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, killing two pupils and wounding 17 people, police said, in the country's latest violent tragedy. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara told a media briefing that the shooter, in his early 20s, sprayed bullets into the Annunciation Church as dozens of students were at Mass to celebrate their first week back to school. The church sits next to an affiliated school in the south of the city, the largest in the state of Minnesota.
"Two young children, ages eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews," O'Hara said, adding that 17 others were injured, including 14 children. Two were in critical condition, he said. The gunman fired a rifle, shotgun and pistol before he took his own life in the parking lot, according to the police chief.
He said the shooter was 23, did not have an extensive criminal history and was believed to have acted alone. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel later identified the shooter as "Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman." Patel posted on X that the FBI was investigating the shooting as "an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics." Videos reportedly posted online by Westman showed a multipage manifesto and names and drawings of firearms.
