Federal investigators say a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school that left two children dead and 17 others injured is being treated as a domestic terrorism case and a hate crime.
The attack unfolded Wednesday morning at Annunciation Church, where students were gathered for Mass to mark the start of the school year. Authorities say 23-year-old Robin Westman opened fire through the windows of the church and adjoining school, killing an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and people in worship,” Police Chief Brian O’Hara said. “The sheer cruelty of firing into a church full of children is incomprehensible.”
The gunman was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, police said, and left behind a smoke bomb and an unpublished online note. Investigators are still determining whether shots were fired inside the church, though no bullet casings were found indoors.
The FBI confirmed it is investigating the attack as anti-Catholic violence. “For too long, places of worship have been targeted for hate,” Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
Stories of survival emerged quickly. A 10-year-old boy told WCCO-TV that his friend shielded him by lying on top of him during the barrage of gunfire. “My friend Victor saved me,” he said. “He got hit in the back, but he’s okay now.”
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Residents of the quiet South Minneapolis neighborhood left flowers outside the church as night fell. Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, said he was “profoundly saddened” by the killings. President Donald Trump later ordered flags flown at half-staff.
Westman’s mother once worked at the school, and court records show the suspect legally changed their name in 2020. Officials urged the public not to direct anger at the transgender community. “This is about one individual’s act of hate, not an excuse for broader intolerance,” Mayor Jacob Frey said.
Governor Tim Walz said the tragedy underscored the nation’s ongoing struggle with mass shootings, adding, “No community should ever face a day like this.”
