Photo: Tim Evans/REUTERS
The city of Minneapolis was reeling on Wednesday after a gunman opened fire at a local church, killing two children and wounding more than a dozen others at a morning service.
The Star Tribune reports that a shooter, dressed entirely in black, approached Annunciation Catholic Church around 8:30 a.m. as children from the parish’s school were attending a morning Mass. The shooter, carrying a rifle, pistol, and a shotgun, fired into the building from the outside.
According to Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara, two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed; 17 others, 14 of whom were children, were injured. The shooter was found dead at the scene by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” O’Hara said.
A visibly emotional Jacob Frey, Minneapolis’s mayor, told reporters that no words could capture the horror and evil of this “unspeakable act” and urged people to support the families affected by the attack. “Children are dead. There are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragedy, or the absolute pain of this situation,” he said.
Minneapolis @MayorFrey on Catholic School Shooting: “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying!” pic.twitter.com/0mPYfQsjWM
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 27, 2025
Frey also pushed back against the familiar refrain “thoughts and prayers,” often employed following a mass shooting, suggesting that his community required more than that — though he did not get into specifics about gun laws.
“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now,” Frey said. “These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. These are kids that should be learning with their friends. They should be playing on the playground. They should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence, and their parents should have the same kind of assurance. These are the sorts of basic assurances that every family should have — every step of the day regardless of where they are in our country.”
ABC News reports that President Donald Trump has spoken with Minnesota governor Tim Walz following the shooting, offering his condolences. The governor addressed the attack on social media, writing, “Minnesota is heartbroken. From the officers responding, to the clergy and teachers providing comfort, to the hospital staff saving lives, we will get through this together. Hug your kids close.”
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