MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Two children were killed, and 18 other people were injured in a shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.
Here's everything we know about the shooting, the victims, the survivors, the suspect and the motive:
The backstory:
At 8:27 a.m. on Aug. 27, the first 911 calls came in and several law enforcement agencies responded to a report of a shooting at the Annunciation Church and Catholic School in south Minneapolis.
A shooter dressed in black approached the outside of the church and opened fire through the stained-glass windows toward children sitting in the pews during mass on their first week back at school.
The shooter was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and shot off more than 100 rounds. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said police recovered three shotgun shells and 116 rifle rounds, as well as one live round that was recovered from a handgun that appears to have malfunctioned. Authorities do not believe the shooter ever entered the church before the shooter died by suicide in the parking lot.
First responders arrived at the scene at 8:31 a.m. and rescued children hiding throughout the church. O'Hara said an officer ran into the church with no helmet or gear.
"The parishioner later told me that was the first time that he, the children and others there had any sense that they might be safe and survive," O'Hara said of the officer running into the church.
Status of the victims:
There were 20 victims as a result of the shooting. Two children, 8 and 10, were fatally shot. Another 15 children, between the ages of 6 and 15, were injured by gunfire. Three adults in their 80s who were attending mass were also shot.
Previously, authorities said 14 children were injured in the shooting but officials revised that number to 15 on Thursday morning. O'Hara said on Thursday the victim, who was identified as the 15th child victim, was taken by private vehicle to a hospital outside the Twin Cities. Police did not receive the report about the child until after the child was treated for a "graze wound" and released.
READ MORE: Annunciation School shooting: Emergency audio reveals medical response, injuries
All the remaining victims are expected to survive, O'Hara said on Wednesday.
Hennepin Healthcare said Friday afternoon it is now caring for six patients. Four children are in satisfactory condition. One adult is in serious condition, and one child is in critical condition.
Meanwhile, Children's Hospital, which was caring for seven patients, said six children had been discharged. As of Thursday evening, it continues to care for one child.
The victims identified:
Information about the victims and survivors is starting to be released. Here's what we know so far.
Harper Moyski, 10, and Fletcher Merkel, 8, have been identified as the two children killed in the Annunciation shooting on Wednesday.
A GoFundMe page for Harper Moyoski has raised more than $96,012 as of Friday morning.
The shooting injury victims that have been identified, so far, include:
Endre Gunter, 13, has gone through surgery after sustaining a couple of bullet wounds to the abdomen during Wednesday's shooting at Annunciation Church and School. His uncle called him "one of the lucky ones" but hopes this shooting inspires change.
Victor had protected his friend Weston during the shooting. The GoFundMe explains, "Victor is one of the brave victims who survived the tragedy that unfolded. His selfless acts help to save many, but he and his sister were injured in the process."
Sophia Forcha, 12, was critically injured and underwent surgery. Sophia's mother is a pediatric critical care nurse who went to work to assist with the mass shooting before discovering her daughter was one of the victims.
David Haeg was also injured during the Annunciation Church and School shooting. The GoFundMe states he has already undergone surgery and will likely need to stay in the pediatric ICU for several days.
Vivian St. Clair, 9, was shot multiple times in her back and arm, a GoFundMe states. "Despite her injuries, Vivi ran from the church to the school gym, where a police officer scooped her up and rushed her to an ambulance. She was taken to HCMC, where her mom, Malia, works," the GoFundMe reads. Vivian has several bullet fragments in her body that doctors likely do not intend to remove.
Genevieve Bisek, 11, was struck in the neck and remains in critical condition. The GoFundMe states her medical journey is "uncertain" but she is surrounded by a dedicated team working to help her recover. Her sister was also present during the shooting.
What you can do:
There is a growing memorial at 54th and Lyndale, where people are placing flowers and messages of remembrance for the victims.
The City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Foundation have also established a text-to-donate line for people to donate money. You can text "ACF1" to 41444.
RELATED: Annunciation Church shooting: How you can help
If you're looking to donate blood, do not call hospitals directly. Contact the American Red Cross or Memorial Blood Centers.
Donations can also be made directly to Annunciation Hope and Healing Fund online.
GoFundMe's have been set up for a variety of the children injured in the Aug. 27 shooting. Verified donation pages can be found here.
The suspect:
The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the parking lot of the church. Police located what is believed to be the shooter's car and were searching it for further evidence on Wednesday.
FOX 9 has confirmed the shooter's mother previously worked at Annunciation. The suspect's mother also applied to change her child's name from Robert to Robin in Dakota County in 2019, according to court documents obtained by FOX 9. The name change filing states that the 23-year-old identified "as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification."
O'Hara confirmed on Thursday that the shooter attended Annunciation school, but authorities are still investigating why the shooter targeted the location.
The investigation:
As part of the investigation, police say search warrants were being executed at the church and three other locations around the metro connected to the shooter, including in Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and Richfield. No additional firearms were recovered, and the guns used in the shooting were purchased legally. Police believe the shooter acted alone.
READ MORE: Gov. Walz increasing security at Minneapolis schools, religious sites
The FBI says it is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics. O'Hara says they haven't determined a motive, but the suspect did post a manifesto on YouTube, which has since been taken down. Authorities have also recovered hundreds of pages of evidence in which the shooter described hate for everyone except for mass shooters.
The motive:
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara shared an update on Thursday on the shooter's motives, saying the shooter was filled with hate toward everyone except mass shooters.
The shooter had a "deranged fascination with previous mass shootings and very disturbing writings that demonstrate hatred towards many different individuals and different groups of people," O'Hara said, noting the shooter "fantasized about the plans of other mass shooters."
O'Hara said they know the shooter wanted to obtain notoriety for themselves and asked people to avoid naming the shooter.
The shooter left behind hundreds of pages of writing describing the plan, mental state and hate, which included hate toward Black people, Mexican people, Christians, Jewish people, President Donald Trump and others, authorities said.
In an update earlier on Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI continues to investigate the "barbaric attack," noting they have gathered evidence "demonstrating this was an act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology."
Search warrant:
A search warrant obtained by FOX 9 Investigators provided additional details about the shooter.
The father told police the shooter recently "broke up with a significant and/or romantic partner" and had been staying with a friend. Search warrants also revealed police were called to the shooter's mother's home in Eagan for a welfare check involving a juvenile in 2018.
Local perspective:
Dating to 1923, the pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school had an all-school Mass scheduled at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to its website. Monday was the first day of school. Recent social media posts from the school show children smiling at a back-to-school event, holding up summer art projects, playing together and enjoying ice pops.
In the 2023-24 school year, there were 391 students enrolled at Annunciation.
Annunciation is located on the 500 block of West 54h Street in south Minneapolis, near the intersection of 54th Street and Lyndale.