Tragedy Strikes Minneapolis Catholic School: Two Children Killed, Gunman Dies by Suicide
A shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on August 27, 2025, killed two children and the gunman, Robin Westman, injuring seventeen others during morning Mass.
How the Minneapolis school shooting unfolded
Boston Globe
What to know about the Minneapolis Annunciation Catholic Church shooting
Washington Examiner
Updates: Minneapolis Catholic school shooting
PBS NewsHour
Annunciation Church shooting comes after days of violence in Minneapolis
Washington Examiner
What to know about the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school
Associated Press
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Overview
- On Wednesday, August 27, 2025, a shooting occurred at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis during morning Mass, marking the first week of classes.
- Two children, Fletcher Merkel (8) and Harper Moyski (10), were killed, along with the 23-year-old gunman, Robin Westman, who died from a self-inflicted wound.
- Seventeen others, including 14 children aged 6 to 15 and three adults, sustained injuries, with several patients in critical condition at local hospitals.
- Westman, a former pupil, fired from outside through church windows with multiple weapons after barricading doors; smoke bombs were also found at the scene.
- Authorities are investigating the motive, including potential domestic terrorism or a hate crime targeting Catholics, though no active threat remains.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this story by intensely focusing on the victims' personal lives, their families' profound grief, and the community's emotional response. They emphasize the tragedy's human cost, using evocative language and prioritizing statements that convey loss and resilience, while also including calls for collective action against gun violence and mental health issues.
"The killer's violent actions have brought tremendous loss to Fletcher's family, Jesse Merkel said."
USA TODAY"The families of the two children who were shot and killed early Wednesday morning at Annunciation Catholic Church in southwest Minneapolis spoke out for the first time Thursday afternoon."
CBS News"We've become so accustomed to the amount of violence in our schools that, inevitably, we collectively accept that this is part of the American experience."
USA TODAY"Even as Merkel mourned the loss of his son, he said he was thankful for the “swift and heroic actions” of adults and students inside the church without whom “this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more.”"
ABC News"The parents of the two schoolchildren fatally shot in a Minneapolis church spoke out for the first time on Thursday afternoon, with some imploring the shaken community to address the root causes of shootings that target schools."
Associated Press"The girl shot in the head asked a bystander, 'Please just hold my hand.'"
ABC News"Two children, 8 and 10, were killed in the latest horrific school shooting in the United States, this time inside a church emblazoned with the words “This is the house of God and the Gate of Heaven.""
ABC News"The morning attack at Minneapolis’ Annunciation Church seemed to plumb unusually heinous depths of cruelty, even as crimes driven by religious bias continue to rise."
USA TODAY"The city was mourning the violent death of two children while authorities on Thursday tried to determine the motive for a suspect who opened fire through stained glass windows at a Catholic church in a rampage that left 17 others wounded as they prayed."
USA TODAY"The attack left two children dead and 17 others injured, marking a tragic event that has left the community in shock and mourning."
BBC News"The police chief said Westman did not have an extensive known criminal history and is believed to have acted alone."
Associated Press"Just before the congregants were to proclaim “Alleluia,” bullets blasted through the windows."
Associated Press"The churchgoers included more than students and school staff; among those injured as bullets strafed the sanctuary were three people in their 80s, police said."
The Free Press"As the bullets flew into a Minneapolis church during a Mass in an inhumane crime, it was the best of humanity that shone through."
USA TODAY"The principal of the Minnesota Catholic school where a shooter opened fire outside of a Mass service Wednesday morning is speaking out hours after the attack."
ABC News"The shooter not only murdered two children and wounded 17 others at Annunciation Catholic Church on Wednesday, Aug. 27, but they inflicted their rage on people young and old who were praising God and giving thanks in celebration of the first week of school."
USA TODAY"A shooter opened fire Wednesday morning during Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing two children and injuring 17 other people before killing himself, officials said."
Chicago Sun-Times"The suspect, identified by federal law enforcement as Robin Westman, killed at least two children and injured 17 others, including 14 kids."
NBC News"The level of firepower unleashed in broad daylight on a city street is sickening and completely unacceptable."
USA TODAY"The gunman took his own life in the rear of the church, he said."
Deadline"The suspect who opened fire on a Catholic school in Minneapolis during Mass has been identified by officials as a person in their early 20s who left behind videos online with writings that referenced suicide."
NBC News"The first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence."
CBS News"The shooting triggered a massive law enforcement response to West 54th Street between Harriet and Garfield avenues."
CBS News"The shooting in Minneapolis is the latest in a long list of attacks targeting students since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado."
Associated Press"The shooting took place at Annunciation Catholic School, which offers instruction to students in preschool through the 8th grade."
USA TODAY"The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible."
ABC News"A shooter opened fire Wednesday morning during Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing two children and injuring 17 other people before killing himself, officials said."
Associated Press"The gunman died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Minnesota Police Chief Brian O’Hara said."
ABC News"At least five children were injured in a shooting Wednesday morning during the first week of classes at a Minneapolis Catholic school, authorities and a hospital said."
ABC News"This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping."
CBS News"The shooting occurred at Annunciation Church, which also houses a school."
USA TODAY"The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible."
Associated PressArticles (90)
FAQ
The gunman was identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a former pupil of the school who died by suicide at the scene.
Robin Westman was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, firing shots from all three weapons during the attack.
Two children, Fletcher Merkel (8) and Harper Moyski (10), were killed, and seventeen others—including 14 children aged 6 to 15 and three adults—were injured, some critically.
Within seconds of the gunfire, the heroic staff moved students under the pews and evacuated them when it was safe to do so, significantly protecting many individuals.
Authorities are investigating the shooting as a possible domestic terrorism act or hate crime targeting Catholics, though no active threat remains.
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