Two children and the shooter have been killed and up to 17 people injured during a shooting at a Catholic school in the US city of Minneapolis, according to latest reports.
The shooting on 27 August took place at Annunciation Catholic School during a school morning Mass for students, aged from kindergarten to eighth grade (an approximate age range of 5 or 6 up to age 13 or 14), held at the school's adjacent Annunciation Church, the BBC reports. The Mass was being celebrated to mark the first week back at school following the summer break.
The local police chief has described the attack as a "deliberate act of violence against children and worshippers".
The shooter is reported to have died from self-inflicted wounds. The two children killed were aged eight and 10.
Of the 17 injured, 14 are children, with six or seven children aged between six and 14 years old brought to hospital in critical condition – there are reports that one may have been subsequently discharged – and four having needed surgery, based on reports of information from doctors and medical staff involved.
Police sources are cited as saying the shooting began around 8:30 a.m. local time in Minneapolis, which is located in Minnesota, a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the US.
The gunman has been described as a man in his "early-20s", dressed all in black and carrying a rifle – confirmed as a semi-automatic weapon – as well as a shotgun and a pistol. He is said to have acted alone.
During a police briefing on the shooting, Police Chief Brian O'Hara said "the shooter approached on one side of the church building", reports the BBC .
"During the Mass a gunman approached from the outside of the building," O'Hara explained, adding that the attacker began firing from and through the church windows, hitting children who were inside praying and participating in the school Mass.
"He struck children and worshippers that were inside the building. Two young children, aged eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews. Their parents have been notified."
The police chief said it appeared that the gunman had remained firing from outside the church during the shooting, as no bullet casings have been found inside the building yet.
O'Hara described the gunman shooting into a church full of children as "sheer cruelty and cowardice" and "incomprehensible".
Mayor Jacob Frey said: "There are no words that can capture the horror. These were Minneapolis families. These were American families, and the amount of pain they are suffering right now is extraordinary."
Frey, a Democrat, made a pointed reference to the typical political response that the US has grown accustomed to after mass shootings, the BBC notes.
“Don’t just say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now. These kids were literally praying,” Frey said. “It was the first week of school, they were in a church.”
US President Donald Trump, commenting on his social media platform Truth Social, said he's been "fully briefed" on the incident, adding:
"The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has called the attack a "horrific act of violence", while Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has spoken about how the daughter of a former staff member saw the attack first-hand, reports CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
"The kids were packed into the church," Klobuchar said, describing how all the children had been praying "and the next thing you know, shots are coming in through their windows. They're stuck inside."
Klobuchar says her former staff member's daughter – one of the older students – saw several of her friends get shot in the stomach and neck.
"You think of the horror of watching these kids get shot ... laying down underneath these pews trying to save themselves," Klobuchar said.
Students at the school had just returned for their first day back from summer break on Monday.
The BBC notes that the school’s Facebook page shared photos of dozens of smiling students parking their bikes, holding signs with their new grade levels (classes) and reuniting with friends after the holiday.
Donald Trump has subsequently signed a presidential proclamation honouring the victims of the shooting at the Catholic school. The president has also ordered that flags at the White House and across the US be flown at half-mast.
Flags at US embassies, military bases and ships will also be lowered. The order will remain in effect until sunset, 31 August 2025, according to the proclamation.
The attacker has since been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, from suburban Minneapolis, law enforcement sources have told CBS.
Photo: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks to the media following a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School on August 27, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
