A shooting at a school in Minneapolis that left two children dead and 17 others injured is being investigated as an anti-Catholic hate crime, the FBI says. The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X.
The two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed when an attacker opened fire through the windows of the city's Annunciation Church on Wednesday morning as children were celebrating Mass.
The attacker, who died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was later identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, was among those who paid tribute to the young victims, saying he was profoundly saddened by the attack. Police Chief Brian O'Hara stated that this shooting was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping.
The police began receiving calls about the shooting just before 08:00 local time on Wednesday. Authorities are now investigating if all the shots came from outside the church, confirming that there were no bullet casings found inside.
Witness accounts describe hearing gunfire and seeing the aftermath, with one young survivor sharing how he was saved by a friend who shielded him from the bullets. Governor Tim Walz emphasized the need for communities to respond collectively to such violence.
The two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed when an attacker opened fire through the windows of the city's Annunciation Church on Wednesday morning as children were celebrating Mass.
The attacker, who died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was later identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, was among those who paid tribute to the young victims, saying he was profoundly saddened by the attack. Police Chief Brian O'Hara stated that this shooting was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping.
The police began receiving calls about the shooting just before 08:00 local time on Wednesday. Authorities are now investigating if all the shots came from outside the church, confirming that there were no bullet casings found inside.
Witness accounts describe hearing gunfire and seeing the aftermath, with one young survivor sharing how he was saved by a friend who shielded him from the bullets. Governor Tim Walz emphasized the need for communities to respond collectively to such violence.
