Nurse Mom Was Working in ICU When Her Critically Wounded Daughter Arrived After Minneapolis School Shooting

The mother of a 12-year-old girl injured in the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting in South Minneapolis on Wednesday was at work in the intensive care unit of the same hospital where her daughter was rushed, according to a GoFundMe campaign.

The fundraiser and a parish official confirmed that Sophia Forchas is among the 18 people wounded when an attacker, identified by authorities as Robin Westman, 23, opened fire through the church windows during morning Mass on Aug. 27. The attack claimed the lives of an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said 15 of the injured were children, all expected to survive. Three parishioners in their 80s were also struck. Westman carried a rifle, shotgun, and pistol, police reported.

The GoFundMe states Sophia attended the church school, which serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, along with her younger brother. She was critically injured in the shooting and required emergency surgery before being admitted to the ICU.

Sophia’s mother, a pediatric critical care nurse, had started her hospital shift without realizing her own daughter was among the victims. “Her road ahead will be long, uncertain, and incredibly difficult — but she is strong, and she is not alone,” the campaign reads.

Her brother was also in the school during the attack. While he was physically unharmed, the fundraiser notes he faces lasting trauma from witnessing the event and learning his sister was gravely hurt.

Father Timothy Sas of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis confirmed Sophia, a seventh grader, was treated at Hennepin County Medical Center. In a Facebook post, he wrote that he had spent much of Wednesday at the hospital with her family. “Sophia was born and raised in our St. Mary’s parish, immersed in the life of the Church together with her extended family of several generations who are devoted members of our congregation,” Sas said.

Hennepin Healthcare confirmed Sophia’s mother works in the pediatric ICU where her daughter is recovering. The GoFundMe campaign lists Sophia’s father, Thomas Forchas, as a co-organizer. He has not responded to requests for comment. The husband of the fundraiser’s organizer told PEOPLE that Sophia’s parents do not wish to speak publicly.

The fundraiser has already raised more than $200,000 as of Thursday afternoon. Organizers said the donations will help cover Sophia’s medical treatment, recovery costs, and trauma counseling for both her and her brother.