By Lake DiStefano
Nation & World Editor
The Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis suffered a shooting this past week on Aug. 27. The armed assailant opened fire during an active Mass attended by students of the Annunciation Catholic School, and was later found dead at the back of the church, with a gunshot wound to the head, according to NBS news.
Two children were killed and 18 other people were injured, of which included fifteen other children, ages 6 to 15, along with three parishioners in their 80s, according to NBC News.
The shooter was identified as Robin Westman, 23. According to NBC, police also found a wooden board, along with a gas container and a metal pull-pin on the ground.
Minneapolis police also said Thursday that they had recovered a total of 116 rifle rounds and three shotgun shells from the scene. Search warrant details suggest that the shooter had left behind a total of four empty magazines from the semiautomatic rifle, with a surplus of extras to spare.
Despite this, Minneapolis public school students are scheduled to start classes this upcoming week. As classes start back up, Minneapolis police say there will be increased patrols, while the state is dedicating extra crews to help protect places of worship as well as schools, according to Fox 9.
Police are continuing to review the online videos posted by Westman, in which the shooter wrote many discriminatory messages, of which included: racism, homophobia, antisemitism and even a call for President Donald Trump’s death. The messages also contained references to the Holocaust and the Catholic Church.
“After the Mass had begun, the doors to the church were locked, so this coward had to fire from outside of the church through the church windows and into the church,” Police Chief O'Hara told reporters on Aug. 28. “And we believe [the shooter] not being able to get into the church likely saved countless lives.”
O'Hara also said all of the remaining victims are expected to survive. Five have been released after being treated at a local hospital.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the shooter’s digital messages in search of a motive and have gotten assistance from the FBI, according to O'Hara.
“Everything that we’ve seen so far is really a classic pathway to an active shooter,” he said. “We’ve seen a whole lot of hate against a whole variety of people in what we have seen so far, but nothing specific to point to as the motive for targeting this church and this particular incident.”
The tragedy as a whole has reignited discussions of gun control and reform, with the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, calling for “a statewide and a federal ban on assault weapons.”
“Our community is so resilient. Obviously, right now we are united in grief. And importantly, we are also united in action. This was an unspeakable tragedy. But how many times have you heard politicians say exactly that and then nothing happens? Prayers are welcome. Thoughts certainly welcome. But that's not enough,” he said.
