The Minneapolis community grapples with the tragic loss of two Catholic school students who were fatally shot while attending Mass at a local church. The families of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski are left mourning, while the father of Fletcher tearfully asks the community to remember his son for his love of family, fishing, and cooking. The devastating incident occurred when a shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, fired multiple rifle rounds through the church’s stained-glass windows, resulting in the deaths of the two children and injuries to several others.
Surveillance footage revealed that the shooter never entered the church and could not see the children while firing. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that the shooter’s actions were captured during the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School. The parents of Harper expressed their desire for their daughter’s memory to spark change in addressing issues of gun violence and mental health.
A total of 15 children, aged between 6 and 15, and three parishioners in their 80s were wounded in the attack, with one child in critical condition. The shooter, armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol, died by suicide. Investigations are ongoing to uncover the motive behind this tragic event, with authorities sifting through evidence and writings left by Westman, who harbored hateful ideologies and a fixation on mass violence.