A deadly mass shooting took place the morning of Aug. 27 at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis shortly after the start of the school day during an all-school Mass at the adjacent Annunciation Catholic Church.
The gunman shot from the outside of the church through windows at the Mass attendees with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, killing two children, ages 8 and 10. According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, 17 others are injured, including 14 children.
The suspected gunman is also dead and believed to have taken his own life in the parking lot. Local police say there is no longer an active threat.
The nearby Richfield Police Department stated earlier that "a man dressed in all black and armed with a rifle was reported at the scene."
The shooter is yet to be publicly identified. Chief O'Hara described the suspect as in his 20s and dressed in black. He said an apparent smoke bomb had also been found.
Aug. 27 was the third day of the school year for the Catholic elementary school, which serves students in preschool to grade eight. Students were attending an all-school Mass that began at 8:15 a.m. local time. Authorities were alerted at 8:27 a.m.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joined Chief O'Hara in speaking to media on the scene. Dr. Thomas Wyatt, chair of emergency medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center in downtown Minneapolis, also provided reporters an update on victims' status. He said 11 patients were taken there, among them two adults and nine children ages 6-14.
OSV News reached out to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and is awaiting comment. Staff from The Catholic Spirit, the archdiocese's newspaper, were on the scene.
President Donald Trump said on the X social media platform that he has "been fully briefed" on the shooting.
"The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene," he said. "The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!"
Also on X, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said that he has been "briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence."
Kristi Noem, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said on X that "DHS is monitoring the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. We are in communication with our interagency partners, and will share more information as soon as it becomes available. I am praying for the victims of this heinous attack and their families."
Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, asked for prayers on X.
"Friends, this morning there was a shooting at Annunciation Catholic Parish in Minneapolis. Please join me in praying for all those who were injured or lost their lives -- along with their families," he wrote. "Let us also pray for the students, faculty, and entire parish community," he wrote."
