Two children were killed and over a dozen more were injured in a shooting at a Catholic school and church in Minneapolis just before 8:30 this morning.
Police say the children who died in the shooting were eight and ten years old. 17 others were injured in the shooting, 14 of them children. Two children are currently in critical condition.
The children were attending mass at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, right near the Annunciation School. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says the shooter was in their 20s, dressed all in black, who fired dozens of rounds into the church from the outside, through the windows.
"This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshiping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible."
O’Hara says the shooter carried three firearms; a rifle, shotgun and a pistol. They died of a self-inflicted gunshot in the parking lot.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says a resource center has been set up for families in the aftermath of the tragedy. He told reporters he is deeply saddened and sorry to everyone affected, and urged the community to stand with the families.
"Do not think of these as just somebody else's kids. Those families are suffering immense pain right now - think of this as if it were your own. Every one of us needs to be wrapping our arms around these families, giving them every ounce that we can muster. These were Minneapolis families. These were American families. And the amount of pain they are in right now is extraordinary."
O’Hara says not much is known at this stage about the shooter other than they had no known criminal history. The shooter has since been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman. The investigation will continue.
This is a developing story.