The city of Minneapolis is once again grieving after a horrific mass school shooting claimed the lives of two young children and left 17 others injured at Annunciation Catholic School on the city’s south side.
The violence unfolded Wednesday morning during a school Mass, shattering what should have been a moment of worship and community. Authorities say the gunman, a man in his early 20s, approached the church from the outside and opened fire with a rifle through the windows, aiming directly at children seated in the pews. He was also armed with a shotgun and a pistol.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooting occurred just before 8:30 a.m. local time during a Mass in the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School, when a shooter standing outside fired through church windows at worshippers.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” O’Hara said. “The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.”
After unleashing terror inside the sanctuary, the gunman reportedly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the rear of the church.
Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed instantly as they sat in the pews. Seventeen other people were injured in the hail of gunfire, including 14 children. Two of the children remain in critical condition.
The school was quickly evacuated, and families were directed to a reunification zone. Emergency crews rushed victims to nearby hospitals. Hennepin Healthcare, the city’s main trauma facility, treated 11 patients—nine children and two adults. Dr. Thomas Wyatt, chair of emergency medicine, said four of the patients required immediate surgery. The children treated ranged from ages 6 to 14.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives confirmed that at least one firearm has been recovered from the gunman, with tracing protocols now underway.
The massacre is the fifth school shooting of 2025, according to NBC News’ tracker, following similar incidents in California, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee earlier this year.
Reactions poured in as the scale of the tragedy became clear. Former congresswoman and gun violence prevention advocate Gabby Giffords expressed both heartbreak and outrage on X, writing:
“Kids should be learning, laughing, making friends — not running for their lives on the very first week of school. Another community is now traumatized by a mass shooting. How many more children will have to live this nightmare before our elected leaders do something?”
Source: Minneapolis School Shooting Leaves 2 Children Dead, 17 People Injured
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