Minneapolis shooting: Everything we know as children, 8 and 10, killed at school

Three people are confirmed to have died followinga shooting at a Catholic schoolin Minneapolis. Two children remain in a critical condition.

US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situationalong with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. “I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence,” the governor said on X.

Meanwhile, Trump took to Truth Social to say the White House will "continue to monitor the terrible situation", before asking people to join him in "praying for everyone involved." The city of Minneapolis said there is “no active threat to the community” which has already begun to express its devastation. Here is everything we know so far.

READ MORE: Minneapolis shooting UPDATES: School children, 8 and 10, dead as gunman opens fire

Shooting while students at mass

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooting at Annunciation Catholic school occurred earlier today as students and others attended mass to mark the inaugural week of the school year.

Chief O’Hara said that a gunman approached and started firing through the church windows. Bullets were aimed at children sitting in pews.

He said: "During the mass, a gunman approached on the outside, on the side of the building and began firing a rifle through the church windows towards the children sitting in the pews at the mass.”

The police chief, also noted that a wooden plank was placed to barricade some of the side doors. “This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible," he said.

The school was evacuated, and students’ families later were directed to a “reunification zone” at the school. Outside, amid a heavy uniformed law enforcement presence, were uniformed children in their dark green shirts or dresses. Many were trickling out of the school with adults, giving lingering hugs and wiping away tears.

Local, state, county and federal law enforcement officers and agents converged on the area, a leafy residential and commercial neighborhood about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis. On Truth Social, President Donald Trump said he was briefed on the “tragic shooting” and that the White House would continue to monitor it.

Bill Bienemann, who lives near by, said he heard “so much” gunfire from shots that were “sporadic”. He told CNN affiliate KARE: “I was on a call, all the windows of our home were open. I know what gunfire sounds like and, and, I could tell. I was shocked. I said there’s no way that that could be gunfire.”

He added: “It was so, it was semiautomatic, it seemed like a rifle. Certainly didn’t sound like handgun and so he must’ve reloaded you know several times for sure.”

Bienemann’s daughter, Alexandra, said she attended the school from kindergarten to 8th grade, finishing in 2014. After she heard of the shooting, she said she was shaking and crying, and her boss told her to take the day off.

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

Deaths and injuries

The three dead include the shooter and two children aged eight and 10 years old.. A further 17 people have been injured in the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, with two reported to be in a critical condition. A confirmed 14 of those injured were children aged six to 14.

Hennepin Healthcare said it is treating nine children and two adults, with seven of those brought to the centre in critical condition and four of those needing surgery, according to Dr Thomas Wyatt, chair of emergency medicine.

The suspect

The suspect behind a horrific shooting at a school in Minneapolis has been named as 23-year-old Robin Westman.

Westman's identity was confirmed by a law enforcement official who was not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Westman is believed to have a parent who worked at the Annunciation Catholic school, where two children aged eight and 10 are confirmed to have died. Police said the third person killed was the shooter.

Westman investigated

Investigators are now examining a chilling digital trail left behind before the massacre. A YouTube account, since deleted, and believed to have belonged to Westman, contained a 20-minute manifesto uploaded just hours before the attack.

According to US reports, police are scrutinising the footage, which showed a drawing of the school’s church before depicting a man stabbing the illustration repeatedly while muttering: “I’m going to kill myself.”

One video believed to have been posted by the shooter showed the phrases “kill Donald Trump” and “for the children” scrawled across gun magazines.

Other clips uploaded to the same channel revealed images of a semi-automatic rifle and a shotgun. Police confirmed the gunman had parked his vehicle close to the school and said it is being investigated as part of the inquiry.

Westman's father, James Westman, lives in a home in south Minneapolis that is less than one mile fom Annunciation. Police have been seen outside the home which was cordoned off.

Westman's mother was heard to be in tears when she answered a phone call from a reporter at the Star Tribune. She said she did not know if her child was the shooter. A source told the same news outlet what she once worked at Annunciation.

No explosives found

Multiple reports suggested explosives were found at the scene, but this was confirmed to be false by Chief O’Hara said. “There were reports of that,” he said. “There were no explosives or improvised devices that we found.”

A “sort of firework” that may have been similar to a smoke bomb was found at the scene, according to Chief O'Hara.

Politicians react

The Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey expressed his condolences following the shooting.

“Children are dead,” he said. “There are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragedy or the absolute pain of this situation.”

He added: “Every one of us needs to be wrapping our arms around these families, giving them every ounce that we can muster."

President Trump took to Truth Social to share: "I have been fully briefed on the tragic shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The FBI quickly responded and they are on scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!"

Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday afternoon ordering flags to be lowered at all government buildings until sunset on Sunday “as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence.”

Minnesota governor Tim Walz said: "I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence."