Shooter dead after Annunciation Catholic School incident in Minnesota

Pat Scallen, who lives half a block from Annunciation Catholic Faculty, advised NBC Information he ran to the varsity after listening to gunshots.

After he and his spouse heard the noise, they thought it is perhaps development. Because the sound continued, they began to suppose in another way. “My spouse mentioned, these have gotten to be pictures, they usually sound like they’re coming from the varsity,” Scallen recalled.

Scallen dropped every little thing and instantly ran to the varsity to assist. “It was eerily fairly once I received there. I did see a riffle journal on the bottom,” Scallen advised NBC Information.

Youngsters then beginning popping out and he noticed three injured youngsters. He stayed with them, one boy and two ladies who had been shot, till EMT’s got here. “I did not need to go away these youngsters alone,” Scallen mentioned.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Minneapolis was despatched a telegram at this time from the Holy See that handed alongside Pope Leo XIV’s condolences following the taking pictures at Annunciation Catholic Faculty.

The telegram was written on behalf of the pontiff by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in keeping with the Vatican. Parolin wrote that Leo despatched “his heartfelt condolences and the reassurance of religious closeness to all these affected by this horrible tragedy, particularly the households now grieving the loss of a kid.” 

He additionally prays for these wounded, the primary responders and all of these caring for them, the Vatican mentioned.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., referred to as the lethal Minneapolis church taking pictures an “unspeakable horror” and mentioned her coronary heart breaks for the households and the victims. A minimum of two youngsters are useless and 17 are injured after a gunman opened hearth on the Annunciation Catholic Faculty. 

President Donald Trump ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in tribute to the victims of the “mindless acts of violence perpetrated” in Minneapolis.

This will probably be in impact till sundown on Sunday.

Ellie Mertens, a youth pastor at Annunciation Catholic Faculty, was sitting in a pew subsequent to a window when the shooter was exterior and commenced opening hearth.

“It was an computerized gun and I used to be close to youngsters and all of us received down,” Mertens advised NBC Information. “And it lasted two minutes, and we had been capable of evacuate.”

She credit the truth that she was sitting on the pew for saving her life.

The Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins, the native skilled soccer and baseball groups, launched statements expressing heartbreak following this morning’s taking pictures.

“The taking of harmless lives in a spot of studying and worship is meaningless,” the Twins’ statement mentioned.

The Vikings shared similar sentiments in a statement on X, writing that the group was “devastated” by this “mindless and cowardly act.”

“We’re praying for the injured, those that witnessed the assault, and the primary responders who had been on the scene offering care and assist throughout this tragedy,” the NFL group mentioned.

Seven youngsters, between ages 9 and 16, had been rushed to Youngsters’s Minnesota Hospital. A type of younger sufferers has been discharged.

“Our ideas are with all of the victims, their households, and family members in our communities who’re impacted by yet one more mindless act of violence,” a hospital assertion mentioned.

Weston Halsne, a fifth grade scholar at Annunciation Catholic Faculty, says his pal Victor was shot whereas mendacity on high of him throughout the taking pictures at their morning Mass.

Weston advised NBC affiliate KARE that he ran underneath a pew whereas pictures got here by means of the stained glass home windows and coated his head, an energetic taking pictures tactic that the varsity practiced frequently. However Weston added that that they had by no means practiced an energetic shooter drill within the church.

“My pal Victor, like saved me, although, as a result of he laid on high of me, however he received hit,” the 10-year-old boy mentioned.

Victor was taken to the hospital, however Weston believes that “he is OK” hours after the taking pictures. Weston described his pal as “actually courageous” and hopes that each one the injured individuals who had been taken to the hospital are OK.

Angela Ferrell-Zabala, government director of Moms Demand Action, mentioned the Minnesota taking pictures was significantly poignant in gentle of faculties coming again into session throughout America.

“As a mother who simply despatched my little ones again to high school and as a girl of religion, I’m devastated that but once more youngsters are useless and extra are preventing for his or her lives after being gunned down at college and in a church,” Ferrell-Zabala mentioned in an announcement.

“What number of extra of our infants should die earlier than Congress lastly will get these weapons of warfare off our streets?”

The suspect in at this time’s taking pictures has been recognized as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a number of senior legislation enforcement officers briefed on the matter advised NBC Information.

Police have mentioned publicly that the suspect is of their early 20s with a restricted legal historical past.

Courtroom paperwork present Westman filed to vary their title in 2019.

NBC Information has confirmed with these legislation enforcement officers that the suspect left behind movies posted on-line with writings that reference suicide, “extraordinarily violent ideas and concepts,” an apology to their household, and a handwritten sketch of the inside structure of a church. It is unclear whether or not that church was the one at Annunciation Catholic Faculty.

For those who or somebody you recognize is in disaster, name or textual content 988 to achieve the Suicide and Disaster Lifeline or chat stay at 988lifeline.org. You may also go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for added assist.

One of many wounded youngsters was taken to M Well being Fairview Masonic Youngsters’s Hospital and is in secure situation, the hospital mentioned in an announcement.

“All of us at Fairview Well being Providers are heartbroken by the tragic taking pictures in Minneapolis this morning,” the Fairview assertion mentioned. “Our ideas are with the kids, households, educators, and neighborhood members impacted by this mindless violence.”  

Brianna Lane, a former Annunciation Catholic Faculty scholar, described seeing police automobiles and emergency automobiles go by on their option to work.

“We knew it was unhealthy after we noticed the second cop automotive flying by means of,” Lane advised NBC Information.

Lane, a former scholar and parishioner at Annunciation, mentioned that the taking pictures “hits in another way when it’s your individual neighborhood.”

“This being the primary Wednesday, you recognize, I believed all the children are in all probability at Mass,” Lane mentioned. “They usually had been” 

Gov. Tim Walz mentioned his state is “heartbroken” and urged all of them to embrace their youngsters.

“From the officers responding, to the clergy and lecturers offering consolation, to the hospital employees saving lives, we’ll get by means of this collectively,” Walz wrote in a submit on X. “Hug your youngsters shut.”

Andrew Winchell was on his porch making ready to drive his spouse to work when he heard a sequence of piercingly loud noises that lasted for what felt like a full two minutes.

“It was this extremely loud and repeated ‘pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,’ then a pause, then one other ‘pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.’ It simply stored going and going,” mentioned Winchell, a 42-year-old development employee and stay-at-home dad.

Winchell, who lives a couple of block away from Annunciation, thought the “pop” noises had been too loud to be coming from one thing like a roofing gun. When he finally realized that there had been a taking pictures at Annunciation, he was deeply disturbed.

“I can see the bell tower of the church from my home proper now,” Winchell mentioned in a cellphone interview. “It was all taking place proper there.”

Madee Brandt, a nanny who works close to the taking pictures scene, pulled into the neighborhood simply as police arrived and kids fled.

“I used to be grateful to see youngsters popping out unhurt, secure, however simply [seeing] the seems to be on a few of their faces … simply the screams coming from the mothers who did not know the place their youngsters are,” Brandt advised reporters.

“You see movies on-line, however it doesn’t examine to seeing it and witnessing it in individual. That was tough.”

Brandt’s automotive remains to be throughout the locked-down zone, prompting her mom to come back and get her, bringing their canine to the scene for consolation.

“It’s terrifying,” the nanny mentioned whereas petting the canine.

Right now’s tragedy marked the fifth faculty taking pictures of 2025, according to a school shooting tracker by NBC News.

The opposite shootings occurred at Spartan School of Aeronautics and Know-how in Inglewood, California, on Might 2; Florida State College in Tallahassee on April 17; Pasadena Memorial Excessive Faculty in Texas on Feb. 1; and Antioch Excessive Faculty in Nashville, Tennessee, on Jan. 22.

Father Erich Rutten, a Roman Catholic priest whose parish is close to Annunciation, went inside the varsity this morning to supply assist to households making an attempt to make sense of the tragedy.

Rutten advised NBC Information he noticed mother and father in “nice, nice nervousness and grief.” He noticed mother and father who had been “wailing and crying, some stooping to the bottom,” he mentioned.

He hugged the individuals he acknowledged from the neighborhood. Then he started to wish the rosary, and others joined in.

“We’re asking God to assist on this state of affairs,” Rutten mentioned.

Natasha Korecki reported from Minneapolis, Daniel Arkin from New York.

The Rev. Bob Hart, a former interim pastor at Annunciation who left in June after one 12 months, mentioned the lethal violence on the faculty was “unbelievable” to him.

“It is onerous to consider this might occur at a Catholic Mass,” Hart advised NBC Information. “I am devastated that this occurred at a spot I simply left two months in the past.”

Hart, 77, described Annunciation as a “very close-knit and really supportive” neighborhood the place everyone seems to be made to really feel welcome.

He didn’t know the identities of the victims, he mentioned. Nonetheless, he expects to acknowledge many names if the authorities make that info public.

Hennepin Healthcare mentioned it’s treating eight pediatric sufferers and two adults. The hospital initially mentioned at a morning information convention that it had 9 pediatric sufferers.

Six youngsters and one grownup are in important situation, the hospital mentioned in a information launch. Two different pediatric sufferers and an grownup have non-life-threatening accidents.

Dr. Thomas Wyatt, chair of emergency medication, advised reporters that 4 sufferers “required the working room.”

The pediatric sufferers ranged in age from 6 to 14, he mentioned.

The hospital mentioned that not one of the sufferers has been discharged and there have been no fatalities.

Chief Brian O’Hara debunked rumors that an improvised explosive system was discovered on the faculty after the taking pictures.

He did, nonetheless, add that one thing that one would possibly name a smoke bomb was discovered. O’Hara clarified that it wasn’t an explosive, however moderately “a kind of firework.”

Simply earlier than 8:30 a.m. native time, authorities say an unidentified gunman approached the facet of the church the place the Annunciation Catholic Faculty was internet hosting its morning Mass.

The facet of the constructing the place the gunman approached had two doorways, the place it seems 2-by-4 wooden planks had been positioned to barricade the doorways from the skin, in keeping with Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

The gunman started firing a rifle by means of the church home windows from the facet of the constructing towards the kids who had been sitting within the pews, he mentioned.

Dozens of kids had been inside throughout the Mass on the time. First responders from the police division entered the church to offer first support and rescue youngsters who had been hiding all through the constructing, in keeping with O’Hara.

The suspect, a person in his 20s, is believed to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound within the parking zone.

Investigators are nonetheless processing the scene, however O’Hara mentioned the variety of rounds fired seems to be “within the dozens.”

Police consider the suspect was a lone shooter in his 20s who died of a self-inflicted gunshot within the parking zone.

The suspect was not recognized.

Authorities are nonetheless investigating a attainable motive, Police Chief Brian O’Hara advised reporters. O’Hara added that it isn’t but identified whether or not the suspect legally obtained the firearms or whether or not they had any intensive legal historical past.

The daddy of two youngsters who attend Annunciation was sitting at work when he received a textual content message from his spouse. She mentioned there was a taking pictures on the faculty, and solely considered one of his sons had been positioned.

“I instantly left work,” Tyler, the daddy, advised NBC Information exterior the varsity. “I used to be a nervous wreck. I used to be simply shocked and in disbelief that this was taking place at Annunciation. I could not get right here fast sufficient.”

Tyler was finally reunited with each of his boys.

Two youngsters are useless and 17 persons are injured, in keeping with Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

“Throughout the Mass, a gunman approached on the skin, on the facet of the constructing, and commenced firing a rifle by means of the church home windows in direction of the kids sitting within the pews on the Mass,” the chief mentioned.

The kids had been ages 8 and 10. Two different youngsters are in important situation.

O’Hara mentioned that 14 of the injured had been youngsters.

The shooter was armed with a shotgun, a rifle and a pistol, O’Hara mentioned. He described it as an “incomprehensible” act of cowardice.

Youngsters had been killed at this time after a gunman opened hearth on the Annunciation Catholic Faculty morning Mass, Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed to reporters.

He didn’t specify the variety of victims, however he mentioned that “youngsters are useless.”

“You can not put into phrases the gravity, tragedy or absolute ache of this second,” Frey mentioned.

A White Home official advised NBC Information that President Donald Trump spoke to Gov. Tim Walz following at this time’s taking pictures.

Brokers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been a number of the very first responders to the scene as a result of they simply occurred to be within the space of the taking pictures, in keeping with an ATF supply in Minneapolis.

The bureau has at the very least one firearm in its possession from the shooter, and they’re starting the tracing protocol, the supply added.

Mike Garrity was strolling dwelling from the fitness center this morning when he heard a sequence of loud noises that he initially thought had been coming from a nail gun at a development web site.

When he received nearer to the church, he realized one thing horrible had occurred.

Garrity, 64, who lives throughout the road from Annunciation, noticed a couple of dozen crying youngsters stream out of the varsity. A minimum of three of them had been coated in blood, he mentioned.

He additionally noticed adults who gave the impression to be members of the school or employees. “Do not go in there,” considered one of them mentioned.

Minneapolis police quickly arrived on the scene, and officers darted inside the varsity, Garrity mentioned.

Six youngsters are being handled at Youngsters’s Minnesota, a hospital spokesperson mentioned, declining to launch additional particulars.

“Youngsters’s Minnesota is conscious of the current tragic taking pictures in Minneapolis. Our groups are educated to reply in instances of disaster, and are totally ready to look after impacted youngsters,” the hospital mentioned in an announcement. “We won’t share extra particulars to respect the privateness of our sufferers and households.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., advised MSNBC that she had spoken to considered one of her longtime workers who had three youngsters within the faculty throughout the taking pictures.

The senator described the decision with the mom as “some of the upsetting issues I’ve ever heard.” The lady’s daughter, who’s within the seventh grade, watched her associates be shot.

“These youngsters are doing an all-school Mass and needed to watch a number of of her associates get shot — one within the again, one within the neck,” Klobuchar mentioned.”They usually all received down underneath the pews and he or she — her daughter, after all, was not shot — however her daughter ended up being the one to inform one of many dads of one of many different youngsters that his daughter had been shot.”

Klobuchar added that the kids have been taken to a “superb” youngsters’s hospital close by and to different space hospitals for therapy. She didn’t have actual numbers.

The scene is emotional on the faculty, with mother and father in tears as they rush out of the campus carrying youngsters on their shoulders, holding them by the arms, and pulling them away as shortly as attainable.

Dad and mom had been advised they could possibly be reunited with their youngsters within the faculty’s basement, mentioned Erin, a mom who solely gave her first title.

A Minneapolis Metropolis Council assembly has been canceled, according to its public schedule.

The assembly was scheduled for 1 p.m. to deal with a attainable litigation matter, however it has been referred to as off.

The varsity is in southwest Minneapolis.

Mayor Jacob Frey’s workplace will maintain a information convention at 11:30 a.m. ET, in keeping with a spokesperson.

There was an “All-Faculty Mass” scheduled for 8:15 a.m. native time this morning, in keeping with the calendar on the Annunciation Church and faculty’s web site.

Based on the web site, this service takes place every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning.

St. Thomas Extra Catholic Faculty in Minneapolis mentioned it’s retaining college students and employees inside “pending additional particulars about this growing state of affairs.”

“Our hearts and prayers are with the scholars, lecturers, and neighborhood at Annunciation Catholic Faculty in South Minneapolis,” the varsity mentioned in a Facebook post.

St. Thomas Extra Catholic Faculty is about 12 miles from Annunciation Catholic Faculty.

President Donald Trump mentioned he has been “totally briefed on the tragic taking pictures” in Minneapolis.

“The FBI shortly responded and they’re on the scene,” Trump mentioned in a submit on Fact Social, his social media platform. “The White Home will proceed to watch this horrible state of affairs. Please be part of me in praying for everybody concerned!”

Vice President JD Vance said on X: “We’re on the WH monitoring the state of affairs in Minneapolis. Be part of all of us in praying for the victims!”

The Division of Homeland Safety mentioned it’s also monitoring the taking pictures.

“We’re in communication with our interagency companions, and can share extra info as quickly because it turns into out there,” Secretary Kristi Noem mentioned in a post on X. “I’m praying for the victims of this heinous assault and their households.”

Earlier than at this time’s faculty taking pictures, there have been three lethal shootings in Minneapolis in 12 hours, in keeping with the Minneapolis Police Division.

“The extent of gun violence throughout town throughout the final day is deeply unsettling,” the Minneapolis Police Division mentioned in a news release. “Throughout three separate multiple-victim shootings, eight individuals have been injured by gunfire and three have misplaced their lives.”

The assault at Annunciation Church can be the fourth lethal taking pictures in Minneapolis in lower than 24 hours. In the latest taking pictures, one man was killed and one other injured at 2:08 a.m. in downtown Minneapolis.

Annunciation Catholic Faculty was based in 1923 as a spot for college kids to study “Christian values and civic-mindedness,” in keeping with a cached model of the varsity’s web site.

“You’ll discover lecturers, mother and father, employees and college students who actually worth training and faith-based studying, and also you’ll see these values in motion in every of our lecture rooms,” the varsity says on its web site.

The varsity serves college students from preschool by means of eighth grade. The primary day of the varsity 12 months was Monday, according to a Facebook post.

Town of Minneapolis posted on X simply earlier than 10:30 a.m. ET that the shooter is contained and “there is no such thing as a energetic menace to the neighborhood at the moment.”

Town requested individuals to steer clear of the world “to permit emergency personnel to assist victims.”

“FBI is conscious of the studies popping out of @FBIMinneapolis and our brokers are en path to the scene,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino mentioned in a post on X. “We’ll present extra updates as in a position.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey mentioned he’s “monitoring studies of horrific violence in South Minneapolis,” and the emergency response group has been activated.

“We’ll share extra info as quickly as we will,” he mentioned in a post on X. “Please give our officers the house they want to answer the state of affairs.”

“There’s an energetic shooter right here in Minneapolis proper now, an unknown quantity of victims at a church and faculty,” Democratic Nationwide Committee Chair Ken Martin mentioned at this time.

“EMS has requested mass casualty. … If any of you might be medical doctors or in any other case first responders that might assist — it appears to be a reasonably vital taking pictures,” mentioned Martin, who’s the previous head of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Celebration and is in Minneapolis for a DNC conference.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in St. Paul mentioned it was responding to studies of an energetic shooter on the church.

Minneapolis Gov. Tim Walz posted on X at this time that he has been “briefed on a taking pictures at Annunciation Catholic Faculty and can proceed to offer updates as we get extra info.”

“The BCA and State Patrol are on scene,” Walz added. “I’m praying for our children and lecturers whose first week of college was marred by this horrific act of violence.”