Annunciation mass shooting: Boy from viral interview has bullet fragment removed from neck

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Weston Halsne, 10, is on the path to recovery after a successful surgery to remove a bullet fragment from his neck following the Annunciation Church and School mass shooting.

His interview with reporters immediately after the shooting went viral when he recalled the horrific details while speaking to reporters.

Weston Halsne surgery family statement

Local perspective:

Children's Minnesota shared the following statement at the wishes of the Halsne family:

"Today, our 10-year-old son, Weston Halsne, had surgery to remove the bullet fragment found in his neck after the tragic shooting at Annunciation Church and School. The procedure went well, and Weston is expected to make a full physical recovery.

Our family would like to thank the community for all the prayers and outpouring of support. We will not be releasing any further information and request privacy as we try to begin to heal."

JD Vance speaks to Weston Halsne

JD Vance speaks to Annunciation mass shooting victim

Vice President JD Vance spoke to 10-year-old Weston Halsne shortly after he went through surgery to remove a bullet fragment from his neck. Weston Halsne went viral in an interview with reporters immediately after the Annunciation mass shooting.

What they're saying:

At the end of his visit to Minneapolis, Vice President JD Vance said he spoke to Weston on the phone shortly after his surgery.

"Just a little boy, thank God, full of life, happy, recovering well," Vice President JD Vance said. "He said he has a 15-year-old older brother. I said, you can tell him, from the Vice President of the United States, that your older brother has to be nice to you for at least the next week. Weston was very excited to hear that, but just a really beautiful family, and I'm glad that he's doing well."

Viral interview

Annunciation shooting: Student recalls tragedy

A student of Annunciation Church and School in Minneapolis recalls an attack that left at least two students dead, and more than a dozen injured - detailing how his friend was shot in the back during the ?super scary? attack Wednesday morning.

Dig deeper:

"It was very scary," Weston said in the viral interview. "We really didn’t know what to do. We just got into the pews and [the shooter] shot through the stained-glass windows."

Weston was well-spoken in the immediate aftermath of the attack and expressed his appreciation for his friend Victor, who helped protect him during the shooting.

"Victor was laying on top of me making sure I was safe. He got hit, so that was really brave of him," Weston said during last week's interview.

The GoFundMe for Weston recalls his "grief-stricken face" and "account of the horrific details" when he spoke about the shooting.

It was during that interview that Weston showed FOX 9 a minor injury he believed was debris. But in the days following the interview, doctors discovered a bullet fragment dangerously close to a major artery, requiring surgery.

Annunciation Church and School mass shooting: What happened

The backstory:

At 8:27 a.m. on Aug. 27, the first 911 calls came in and several law enforcement agencies responded to a report of a shooting at the Annunciation Church and Catholic School in south Minneapolis.

A shooter dressed in black approached the outside of the church and opened fire through the stained-glass windows toward children sitting in the pews during mass on their first week back at school.

The shooter was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and shot off more than 100 rounds. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said police recovered three shotgun shells and 116 rifle rounds, as well as one live round that was recovered from a handgun that appears to have malfunctioned. Authorities do not believe the shooter ever entered the church before the shooter died by suicide in the parking lot.

First responders arrived at the scene at 8:31 a.m. and rescued children hiding throughout the church. O'Hara said an officer ran into the church with no helmet or gear.

"The parishioner later told me that was the first time that he, the children and others there had any sense that they might be safe and survive," O'Hara said of the officer running into the church.

Read more about the Annunciation mass shooting:

The Source: This story uses information shared from Children's Minnesota, a statement made by Vice President JD Vance and previous FOX 9 reporting.

Annunciation Church and School shooting Crime and Public Safety Minneapolis Mass Shootings