Catholic School Shooting in Minneapolis Leaves 2 Children Dead and 18 Injured
The attack is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics
Newsbites
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Christians to stay put during Gaza City offensive: Israel is moving forward with its plan to launch an offensive in Gaza City and has issued some evacuation orders to residents and refugees in areas of the city. Amid the pending offensive, the two most prominent religious leaders in the city - Cardinal Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos III - released a joint statement saying the nuns and clergy living in the respective Catholic and Greek Orthodox communities will remain in Gaza City and care for those that are unable to evacuate. They wrote, “many are weakened and malnourished due to the hardships of the last months. Leaving Gaza City and trying to flee to the south would be nothing less than a death sentence.”
AI-first school: A new AI-focused school, called Alpha School, has been growing fast and is set to open new locations in New York and other states this year. The school’s model consists of just 2 hours of AI-led “classroom” instruction in the morning, followed by “life skills” workshops in the afternoon. For the classroom portion, students learn 1:1 with AI programs that lead them through lessons, quizzes, and more. There are no formal teachers, only “guides” that monitor and assist the students as needed. The life skills workshops consist of things like financial literacy, outdoor activities, practical skills, and entrepreneurship exercises. For example, students may learn how to assemble furniture from IKEA, solve a Rubik’s cube, or manage a mock Airbnb rental.
More: The company currently operates as a private school (tuition is $40,000 plus per year), although charter schools are expected to open in the future.
Nazi-era stolen painting: Authorities are searching for “Portrait of a Lady,” a painting by Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi, which was stolen by Nazi officials during World War II but has recently resurfaced in Argentina. A team of investigative journalists at the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad have been working on the case for nearly a decade. The team had a major breakthrough this week after they sent one of the journalists to Argentina in a last ditch effort to find clues. The reporters were checking the house of descendants of the Nazi official, Friedrich Kadgien. The house was listed for sale and one of the journalists spotted the painting in a photo of the living room included in the real estate listing. The next day when officials searched the house, the painting was gone and was replaced with a tapestry on the wall.
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Catholic School Shooting in Minneapolis Leaves 2 Children Dead and 18 Injured
What happened?
On Wednesday morning at 8:27 AM, more than a hundred rounds of gunfire blazed through the stained glass windows of Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, which was packed with children, teachers, and staff attending Mass for the K-8 school. Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed. 15 other children and three parishioners in their 80s were injured. The alleged 23-year-old shooter, Robin Westman, died from suicide behind the Church shortly afterwards. The FBI says the attack is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics.
Children hid under pews and began running to different areas of the Church while staff and older students helped to cover the youngest children.
One 10-year-old student described the scene to the media afterwards, saying, "I just ran under the pew and then I covered my head. My friend Victor saved me though, because he laid on top of me. But he got hit... He's really brave, and I hope he's good in the hospital." (video)
By 8:31 AM, first responders arrived at the scene. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said one officer immediately ran into the Church with no helmet or protective gear and a parishioner told him later that it was “the first time that he, the children and others there had any sense that they might be safe and survive."
The Church doors were locked after Mass had started, per school protocol, barring the shooter from getting inside the building itself. O’Hara said it likely saved countless lives.
Today, injured victims are still being treated at local hospitals in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. At this point, all are expected to survive.
Fletcher Merkel, 8, was one of the children killed in the shooting. His father, who spoke to the media on Thursday, said his son Fletcher “loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play.” Fletcher's dad called the shooter a “coward” and is urging people to "please remember Fletcher for the person he was, not the act that ended his life." (video)
Harper Moyski, 10, was also killed in the attack. Her parents released a statement, saying, "We are devastated to share our beloved daughter, Harper Moyski, was tragically killed in the recent school shooting…Harper was a bright, joyful and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness and spirit touched everyone who knew her."
What we know about the shooter
The 23-year-old shooter, Robin Westman, was a graduate of the same Annunciation Catholic School in 2017. Westman then bounced between three different high schools before graduating in 2021.
Westman was a transgender individual who identified as a woman. Court documents show a name change from Robert Westman to Robin Westman in 2020. The documents, signed by his mother, say the individual “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.” Westman’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, worked at Annunciation Catholic School as a secretary before retiring in 2021.
In a video posted on YouTube hours before the shooting took place, Westman shows the guns and ammo he would use in the attack, with messages written such as, “Where is your God?” along with a variety of slurs. He also spoke glowingly about previous school shooters and said, “I am not well. I am not right. I am a sad person, haunted by these thoughts that do not go away.”
According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, the shooter had recently legally purchased the three firearms used in the attack: a shotgun, rifle and a pistol. The shooter had no known criminal background but "had a deranged obsession with previous mass shooters," and was seeking notoriety. He also said the shooter "harbored a whole lot of hate towards a wide variety of people and groups of people.”
Chief O’Hara delivered a press conference on Thursday providing more details about the shooter and what authorities know at this time (video).
Westman’s mother, who currently lives in Florida, has not cooperated with the police up until this point and has hired a criminal defense attorney, Ryan Garry, who has previously represented NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and rapper Desiigner. His father, James Westman, lives in Minneapolis but it remains unclear if authorities have been in contact with him. The couple divorced in 2013 when Westman was 11-years-old.
Prayer vigil held at Holy Angels
In the evening of the day of the shooting, hundreds of people packed the gymnasium at the Academy of Holy Angels for a prayer vigil to remember the victims. The gym was overflowing with many people standing outside the doors. The service was led by Catholic Archbishop Bernard Hebda (video).
Minnesota officials respond
Minnesota officials, including Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Governor Tim Walz, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addressed the press in the wake of the shooting (video). Although all spoke and shared of the horror and sadness of the events, each person highlighted unique themes that are also being discussed around the country, such as prayer, transgenderism, and gun control.
Archbishop Hebda: “While we need to commit to working to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies, we also need to remind ourselves that we have a God of peace and of love, and that it is his love that we will need most as we strive to embrace those who are hurting so deeply.”
Minneapolis Mayor Frey: "Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying!" He added, "Anybody that is gonna use this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any community has lost touch with a common humanity…we need to be standing up for every community out there. A Catholic community, too, by the way."
Vice-President JD Vance: "If you're a politician or a media commentator and 2 beautiful babies just got murdered while praying, and your politics force you to condemn prayer in response to it, you ought to get new politics because something very wrong has gone on inside your soul."
RFK JR: “People have had guns in this country forever… it’s happening in our country, and not around the world… something changed, and it dramatically changed human behavior. We are the most overmedicated nation in the history of the world. And a lot of those are “black box” drugs that have a warning about suicidal and homicidal ideations.”
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