Girl Shot in Head During Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting Is Making ‘Miraculous’ Recovery, Family Says

A seventh-grade girl who has been hospitalized since being shot in the head during Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis last month has shown what her family describes as “miraculous” progress and is set to be transferred this week to an inpatient rehabilitation program.

Sophia Forchas was shot on Aug. 27 when an assailant armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun opened fire through the church windows during morning Mass. The attack claimed the lives of two children — 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski — and left 21 others injured, including 18 children. The assailant died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police reported.

Sophia was shot in the left temporal lobe, with the bullet remaining lodged in her right occipital lobe, according to Dr. Walt Galicich, chief of neurosurgery at Hennepin Healthcare.

“Sophia surviving this horrific attack is a miracle,” her family said in a statement Monday, Sept. 22, released through Hennepin Healthcare. “Her healing progress is nothing short of miraculous; an undeniable testament to the mercy and intervention of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Her family added that “Sophia continues to make steady progress, showing promising signs of neurological recovery,” but cautioned that “she still has a long journey ahead, filled with extensive therapy.”

This week, she will move from an acute care unit at Hennepin County Medical Center to an inpatient rehabilitation program.

In a statement released Sept. 12, the family noted that doctors had initially warned them “she was on the brink of death.” As part of her treatment, Sophia had to have one side of her skull removed.

Sophia and her younger brother were both students at Annunciation Catholic School. Her brother was present during the shooting but was not physically harmed.

Hennepin Healthcare previously confirmed that Sophia’s mother works in the pediatric intensive care unit where her daughter was in critical condition. According to a GoFundMe set up to assist with Sophia’s medical care and trauma counseling for her and her brother, their mother, a pediatric critical care nurse, had arrived at work the day of the attack before realizing her daughter had been injured.

The GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $1 million to support the family.