Minneapolis School Attack: Gunman Fired Into Church At Children, Witness Heard 50 Shots In 4 Minutes

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday (August 27) left two children dead and 17 others injured, including 14 students, police said. The gunman, armed with multiple weapons, also died at the scene.

"Two young children, ages eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews," O'Hara said, adding that 17 others were injured, including 14 children.

Two were in critical condition, he said.

The gunman fired a rifle, shotgun and pistol before he took his own life in the parking lot, according to the police chief.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara described how the shooter carried a rifle, shotgun, and pistol and“approached the side of the church and shot through the windows toward the children sitting in the pews during Mass.”

"This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshiping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible," O'Hara said.

"Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their children, for these young lives that are now fighting to recover, and for our entire community that has been so deeply traumatized by this senseless attack," he added.

The suspect, a man in his early 20s with no extensive known criminal history, was killed after the attack, O'Hara confirmed.

Hospitals treating multiple victims

Children's Minnesota, a pediatric trauma hospital, said five children were admitted for care. Hennepin Healthcare, which has the state's largest emergency department, also confirmed it was treating several patients from the shooting.

Eyewitness heard 'dozens of shots'

Local resident Bill Bienemann, who lives just two blocks from the school and regularly attends Mass at the church, said he was stunned by the sound of the gunfire.

“I was shocked. I said, 'There's no way that could be gunfire,'” Bienemann recalled.“There was so much of it. It was sporadic - maybe 50 shots over four minutes.”

His daughter, Alexandra Bienemann, who graduated from Annunciation in 2014, said the news left her shaken.

“It breaks my heart, makes me sick to my stomach, knowing that people I know are injured or maybe even killed,” she said.“It doesn't make me feel safe at all in this community that I have been in for so long.”

Families reunited amid heavy police presence

The school was quickly evacuated, with students led to a“reunification zone” where families anxiously waited. Outside, amid dozens of law enforcement officers, children in green school uniforms hugged their parents tightly, some crying as they left the building.

Trump reacts, FBI on scene

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had been“fully briefed” on the tragedy.

“The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!” Trump said.

A city reeling from multiple shootings

The Catholic school shooting was the fourth fatal incident in Minneapolis in less than 24 hours. On Tuesday, one person was killed and six others wounded outside a high school, while two other shootings elsewhere in the city left two people dead.

Wednesday's violence also followed a wave of hoax active-shooter calls at U.S. colleges this week, which sparked panic and campus lockdowns nationwide.

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