Shooter kills 2 children at Minneapolis Catholic school Mass

23-year-old Robin Westman opened fire through church windows at Annunciation Catholic School during first-week Mass on August 27, 2025, killing Fletcher Merkel (8) and Harper Moyski (10), wounding 18 others including 15 children.

Westman died from self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing 116 rifle rounds, 3 shotgun shells, and attempting to fire a handgun that malfunctioned with a live round jammed in the chamber, while barricading church doors to trap victims inside the sanctuary.

FBI Director Kash Patel classified the attack as domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics, with investigators finding hundreds of pages expressing hatred toward multiple groups and obsession with previous mass shooters.

This marked the 44th school shooting in the US this year and occurred during Minneapolis' fourth deadly shooting in 24 hours, showing the normalization of mass violence in American communities.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said Westman intended to kill children and "appeared to hate all of us and wanted to watch children suffer," revealing disturbing evidence of targeting the most innocent victims.

Westman was a 2017 graduate of Annunciation Catholic School whose mother previously worked at the institution, demonstrating how inside knowledge can be weaponized for maximum harm against former communities.

Four patients required emergency surgery at Hennepin Healthcare, with nine of eleven victims being children aged 6-14, while heroic staff moved students under pews within seconds of gunfire.

Mayor JFJacob Frey called for bans on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines while warning against using the tragedy to "villainize our trans community or any other community," showing political responses to mass violence.