Annunciation Church and School shooting: Everything we know so far

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Two children were killed and 17 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:

Annunciation mass shooting

The backstory:

Shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, several law enforcement agencies responded to a report of a shooting at the Annunciation Church and Catholic School in south Minneapolis. 

A gunman dressed in black approached the outside of the church and opened fire through the stained-glass windows toward children sitting in the pews during their first week back at school. 

The shooter was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and is believed to have fired dozens of rounds from all three weapons, according to Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O’Hara.

First responders arrived at the scene and rescued children hiding throughout the church. There were 19 victims as a result of the shooting. Two children, 8 and 10, were fatally shot. Another 14 children, between the ages of 6 and 15, were injured by gunfire. Three adults in their 80s who were attending mass were also shot.

Read more: Annunciation School shooting: Emergency audio reveals medical response, injuries

All the remaining victims are expected to survive, O’Hara said. 

Hennepin Healthcare said Thursday morning it is now caring for nine patients, with one patient being discharged. Six patients are in satisfactory condition, including five children. Two people — one child and one adult — are in serious condition, and one child is in critical condition. 

Hospital officials said one or two more patients could be discharged Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, Children’s Hospital, which was caring for seven patients, said four children had been discharged. As of Thursday morning, it continues to care for three children. 

Annunciation shooting victims: Who were they? 

The victims:

Information about the victims and survivors is starting to be released. Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed. Fourteen children ranging in ages from 6-15 were injured in the shooting, as well as three worshipers in their 80s.

Here’s what we know so far:

Sophia Forchas

Sophia Forchas was identified on GoFundMe and a post by St. Mary’s Orthodox Church as a victim of the shooting. The 12-year-old is in critical condition. Her brother, who is also an Annunciation student, was not physically hurt in the shooting. Meanwhile, her mom is a pediatric critical care nurse who went to work to help before finding out the shooting happened at her children’s school and her daughter was among the injured. 

The GoFundMe page has raised more than $150,000 as of Thursday morning.

READ MORE: Annunciation Church school shooting: What we know about the victims

Victim’s parent releases statement

Danielle Gunter, the mother of an eighth-grade boy who was shot, released a statement on Wednesday saying “Our hearts are shattered … Unlike others, we are blessed to hold onto him. We will help him rebuild his life, his trust, and his confidence.”

You can read her full statement here.

Memorial for Annunciation victims: How you can help

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

The Minneapolis Foundation is hosting the fund and will work with Annunciation in the coming days to equitably distribute the funds raised to those impacted.

If you’re looking to donate blood, do not call hospitals directly. Contact the American Red Cross. 

Investigating the Annunciation shooting motive

The suspect:

The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, reportedly 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 are searching it for further evidence.

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.”

RELATED: Annunciation Church shooting: 2 children killed, 17 others hurt

The investigation:

As part of the investigation, police say search warrants were being executed at the church and three other locations around the metro. Additional firearms have been recovered, and the guns used in the shooting were purchased legally. Police believe the shooter acted alone.

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.

History of Annunciation Catholic School 

Dig deeper:

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 an Annunciation.

Annunciation is located on the 500 block of West 54h Street in south Minneapolis, near the intersection of 54th Street and Lyndale. 

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