A 10-year-old boy said his classmate was shot while protecting him as bullets shattered the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, Aug. 27, according to a new report.
“My friend Victor, like saved me, though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit,” Weston Halsne told KARE. Weston said he ducked under a pew as the gunfire erupted. He described his friend as “brave” and said he hopes Victor will recover in the hospital.
Weston was among dozens of Annunciation Catholic School students attending their first Mass of the new school year when the shooting began just before 8:30 a.m. Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed, and 17 others — including 14 children — were wounded, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a press conference.
Police identified the suspect as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who they believe died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to O’Hara, Westman used three weapons during the attack: a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. He noted that Westman had no “significant criminal history,” and investigators are still working to determine a motive.
KARE 11 also reported that Westman’s mother worked at Annunciation Catholic School on the city’s south side.
