2 Kids Dead, 14 Children & 3 Adults Injured in Shooting at Minneapolis Catholic School/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ At least 2 Children dead, 14 other Children and 3 adults were injured Wednesday in a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Officials said the shooter was contained, and students were safely evacuated as families gathered at a reunification zone. The incident comes amid a string of shootings in the city and nationwide hoax threats on campuses.
Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting Quick Looks
- At least 2 children killed 14 other and 3 adults were hospitalized following the shooting.
- Gov. Tim Walz called the violence “horrific” and offered prayers.
- Shooter has been contained; no active threat remains.
- Witnesses reported dozens of shots lasting several minutes.
- Families reunited with evacuated students at a designated site.
- Incident follows multiple fatal shootings across Minneapolis this week.
- School founded in 1923; new academic year began just Monday.
2 Kids Dead, 14 Children & 3 Adults Injured in Shooting at Minneapolis Catholic School
Deep Look
A shooting Wednesday at a Minneapolis Catholic school killed Two children as they prayed and injured 17 other people, 14 of them kids, the police chief and mayor said. The shooter also died.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter — armed with a rife, shotgun and pistol — approached the side of the church and shot through the windows toward the children sitting in the pews during Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School.
O’Hara said the shooting suspect is dead and in his early 20s and does not have an extensive known criminal history.
Authorities confirmed that 2 Children are dead, 14 others and 3 adults injured and the shooter was contained and posed no further threat to the public, though details about the suspect and a possible motive remain unclear. Students were evacuated quickly as local, state, and federal law enforcement converged on the south Minneapolis neighborhood.
Governor, Mayor React
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the attack as “horrific,” posting on X that he was praying for the students and teachers whose return to school was scarred by violence. “I’ve been briefed on the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information,” Walz wrote.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey activated the city’s emergency response team, coordinating with police and federal agencies as the situation unfolded.
Children Hospitalized
Children’s Minnesota, a pediatric trauma hospital, confirmed that five children had been admitted for treatment. Hennepin Healthcare, home to the state’s largest emergency department, also reported receiving 11 patients from the shooting. The conditions of the injured children were not immediately disclosed.
Eyewitness Accounts
Nearby resident Bill Bienemann, who has attended services at Annunciation Church for years, said he heard what sounded like dozens of gunshots over several minutes.
“I was shocked. I said, ‘There’s no way that could be gunfire.’ There was so much of it. It was sporadic,” Bienemann recalled.
His daughter, Alexandra, a graduate of the school, described her heartbreak after learning of the shooting. “It makes me sick to my stomach knowing people I know could be hurt or worse,” she said.
Evacuation and Family Reunification
Police evacuated the building while children, still in their green school uniforms, were escorted out to waiting parents. Families gathered at a designated reunification zone, where emotional hugs, tears, and reassurances underscored the trauma of the day.
The school, which serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, was founded in 1923. According to its website, students had an all-school Mass scheduled Wednesday morning at 8:15. Just two days earlier, back-to-school photos on social media showed smiling children, summer art projects, and ice pops — a stark contrast to Wednesday’s chaos.
National Attention
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he had been briefed on the “tragic shooting” and pledged ongoing monitoring by the White House.
At a meeting of Democratic leaders elsewhere in Minneapolis, DNC Chair Ken Martin paused proceedings to acknowledge the violence, noting the uncertain number of victims at the time.
A City on Edge
The school shooting comes amid a spike in gun violence across Minneapolis. Just Tuesday, one person was killed and six injured outside a city high school. Hours later, two separate shootings claimed two more lives.
The tragedy also follows a wave of hoax shooting calls made to U.S. colleges in recent weeks. Some of the false alarms included fake gunshot sounds, prompting universities to issue “run, hide, fight” alerts and leaving students shaken as the school year begins nationwide.
For Minneapolis families, however, Wednesday’s incident was tragically real, marking yet another moment of grief and fear for a city already grappling with violence.
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