Annunciation shooting: Leaders call for gun control after deadly attack

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A day after a deadly attack at the Annunciation School and Church in south Minneapolis, Minnesota leaders and lawmakers are collectively gathering to call for action that includes a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Groups expected to speak include Mom’s Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety and Student Demand Action.

The entire press conference can be watched in the player above.

Annunciation shooting

The backstory:

Shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, several law enforcement agencies responded to a report of a shooting at the Annunciation Church and Catholic School in south Minneapolis.

It was there that authorities say 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 their first week back at school. 

According to Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O'Hara, the shooter was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and is believed to have fired dozens of rounds from all three weapons.

Two children, ages 8 and 10, were fatally shot. There were 20 victims as a result of the shooting.

What they're saying:

According to the groups present on Thursday, researchers estimate that if the federal law prohibiting assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was in effect from 2005 through 2019, it would have prevented 30 mass shootings that resulted in 1,478 people being shot and killed or wounded.

During the press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines at both the state and local levels.

"We love our children. Make these changes not out of hate, but as a foundational love for our kids," Frey said. "We need a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons… There is no reason someone should be able to reel off 30 shots before they even have to reload. We're not talking about your father's hunting rifle. We're talking about guns that are built to pierce armor and kill people. Why do we have these coming by the trunk load into our country?"

How to help

What you can do:

There is a growing memorial at 54th and Lyndale, where people are placing flowers and messages of remembrance for the victims.

The City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Foundation have also established a text-to-donate line for people to donate money. You can text "ACF1" to 41444.

The Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF) has also established the Annunciation Hope and Healing Fund that will "provide financial support to the Church of the Annunciation for the needs of the church and school, as well as to support those affected by the tragedy."

History of Annunciation Catholic School

Dig deeper:

Dating to 1923, the pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school had an all-school mass scheduled at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to its website. Monday was the first day of school.

Recent social media posts from the school show children smiling at a back-to-school event, holding up summer art projects, playing together and enjoying ice pops.

In the 2023-24 school year, there were 391 students enrolled at Annunciation.

Annunciation is located on the 500 block of West 54h Street in south Minneapolis, near the intersection of 54th Street and Lyndale.