Minneapolis Catholic school shooting leaves 2 dead, 17 others hurt
Police are investigating after an 8-year-old and 10-year-old were killed when a gunman opened fire through the windows of a church at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday (Aug. 27) morning.
Seventeen others people, including 14 children, were injured in the shooting during a Mass that marked the first week of school, police said. Police report that two of the 14 injured children are in critical condition, while the other are stable.
The gunman died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
According to Action News, the mass shooting unfolded just before 8:30 a.m. when the gunman approached the side of the building and fired a rifle through the church windows toward the children and other worshippers sitting in the pews.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Dozens of rounds were fired, as he refered to the incident as a “deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping.”
Weston, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at the school, said he was sitting next to a stained glass window the shooter fired through.
“It was right beside me. I was like 2 feet away from the stained glass window. So, the shots were right next to me,” Weston told Minneapolis ABC affiliate KSTP.
The student recalled him and his classmates immediately ducking under a pew for safety as the gunfire continued.
“My friend got hit in the back. He went to the hospital,” said Weston, who spoke to sources with the permission of his grandfather. “I was super scared for him, but I think he’s OK.”
During a news conference, an emotional Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, “These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. These are kids that should be learning with their friends, they should be playing on the playground. They should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence, and their parents should have the same kind of assurance.”
“This kind of act of evil should never happen, and it happens far too often,” he said.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates. Information from this article was sourced from 6abc action news
Minneapolis Catholic school shooting leaves 2 dead, 17 others hurt was originally published on rnbphilly.com
