MINNEAPOLIS—A man armed with a rifle opened fire on children during a morning church mass, killing two and injuring 17 others in one of the most harrowing mass shootings in recent memory. The victims were praying, just days into the new school year. They never saw it coming.
Authorities have identified the shooter as Robin Westman, a man in his 20s. While he has only a minor criminal history, officials say he left behind videos and sketches depicting what appears to be a church.
Bullets Pierced Stained Glass and Childhood
Just days into the new school year, a gunman opened fire on children gathered for mass at Annunciation Roman Catholic Church, firing through stained-glass windows and replacing blessings with bullets.
A lone gunman opened fire from outside the church, shooting through stained-glass windows with a rifle. Two children—only eight and ten years old—were killed where they sat. Fourteen other children were among the 17 injured.
Mayor, Police Chief Condemn Church Massacre
“Children are dead,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, his voice heavy with grief. “These families have lost their babies—there are no words that can fully capture the horror or the evil of this unspeakable act.”
“Do not think of these as just somebody else’s kids. These were our kids. These were Minneapolis families,” the mayor said. “These were American families. And the amount of pain they are feeling right now is extraordinary,” he added.
The suspect, a man in his early 20s, later took his own life. His motive remains unclear, but the trauma he inflicted echoes across a nation already exhausted by mass shootings in schools, churches, supermarkets, and other public spaces once considered safe.
“The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” Chief Brian O’Hara of the Minneapolis Police Department said. “Two young lives were ended where they sat to pray. Our hearts are broken for these families, for these children, and for a community forever changed by this senseless act.”
Guns Are Now the Leading Killer of U.S. Youth
In 2024, the U.S. endured over 320 school shootings—marking another grim chapter in a nation still reeling from relentless violence.
Tuesday’s massacre marks the fifth school shooting this year and another horrifying data point in what has become a uniquely American pandemic. Guns are now the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. Moreover, Faith spaces and schools—once sacred, now sites of grief—have become recurring targets. For many communities across America, regardless of race or economic class, the violence feels both inescapable and unanswered.
Frey called on the nation to move beyond thoughts and prayers. “These children were praying. They were at church. It was the first week of school. They should have been learning. They should have been laughing on the playground. Instead, their lives were stolen.”
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