Updates: Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 17 Injured/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A gunman armed with multiple weapons opened fire through church windows during Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 17 others before dying at the scene. Police called the attack “absolutely incomprehensible.” The tragedy comes amid a surge of shootings and hoax threats across U.S. schools.
Minneapolis School Shooting Quick Looks
- Gunman in his early 20s opened fire through church windows.
- Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed; 17 others wounded.
- Shooter carried a rifle, shotgun, and pistol before being killed.
- Police Chief O’Hara condemned the attack as “deliberate” and “cowardly.”
- Students evacuated; families reunited at a designated reunification zone.
- Hospitals in Minneapolis treated multiple young victims.
- Incident follows multiple shootings in the city and nationwide hoax threats.
Updates: Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting Left 3 Dead, 17 Injured
Deep Look
A Deliberate Attack on Children
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter, a man in his early 20s, approached the side of the church and fired a rifle through the windows toward children seated in the pews. The suspect also carried a shotgun and a pistol. Authorities confirmed he is dead but have not disclosed whether he was killed by police or died by other means.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” O’Hara said at a press briefing. “The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.”
The victims included two children, aged 8 and 10, who died inside the church. Officials said they are investigating the suspect’s motive but found no extensive criminal record in his past.
Hospitals Treat Dozens of Young Victims
The number of injured rose to at least 17, highlighting the scale of devastation in the packed sanctuary.
Shock in the Community
Neighbors described hearing dozens of shots. Resident Bill Bienemann, who lives nearby and attends Mass at Annunciation, said the barrage lasted up to four minutes.
“I was shocked. I said, ‘There’s no way that could be gunfire,’” Bienemann recalled. “There was so much of it. It was sporadic.”
His daughter, Alexandra Bienemann, a graduate of the school, broke down upon hearing the news. “It breaks my heart, makes me sick to my stomach,” she said. “It doesn’t make me feel safe at all in this community that I have been in for so long.”
Students Evacuated, Families Reunited
Police quickly evacuated the school, escorting children — still in their dark green uniforms — to a reunification zone where anxious parents and guardians waited. Tearful embraces, lingering hugs, and visible relief marked the reunions, though the grief of lives lost hung heavy.
The leafy neighborhood, about five miles south of downtown Minneapolis, swarmed with local, state, and federal officers as the investigation unfolded.
Political and National Response
Governor Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and expressed prayers for victims and families. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he had been briefed on the “tragic shooting” and said the White House would continue to monitor developments.
At a separate Democratic gathering in Minneapolis, DNC Chair Ken Martin acknowledged the attack and its still-uncertain toll at the time.
School and City History
Founded in 1923, Annunciation Catholic School serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. According to its website, students had gathered for an all-school Mass at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Only two days earlier, the school celebrated its first day back with photos of smiling children, art projects, and ice pops shared online.
Now, that joy has been shattered.
Broader Context of Violence
The shooting was part of a disturbing pattern of recent violence in Minneapolis. On Tuesday, one person was killed and six were wounded outside a city high school, followed by two more fatal shootings elsewhere in the city later that day.
Nationwide, schools have also faced a wave of hoax calls about active shooters, some accompanied by fake gunshot sounds. At least a dozen U.S. college campuses have been targeted this month, prompting emergency alerts and mass panic.
For Minneapolis, however, Wednesday’s attack was no hoax — it was a devastating reality that left families grieving, children traumatized, and a city once again confronting the scourge of gun violence in its schools.
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