The attacker who opened fire through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis during morning Mass on Wednesday killed two children — ages 8 and 10 — and wounded 18 others, authorities said.
According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, had used two-by-fours to barricade the exterior handles of two exits at Annunciation Catholic Church before launching the attack.
O’Hara reported that 15 children, ranging in age from 6 to 15, were shot, along with three parishioners in their 80s.
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Westman fired dozens of rounds using three legally purchased weapons — a rifle, shotgun, and pistol — before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
The suspect’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, previously worked at Annunciation Catholic School for five years, according to NBC affiliate KARE 11.
The FBI is treating the incident as both an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed. Authorities have not yet determined the motive.
