Annunciation shooting: Lydia Kaiser returns to church pew where she was shot

Cathedral of St. Paul holds benefit concert for Annunciation victims

Hundreds of people filled the Cathedral of St. Paul Thursday night as several groups came together with music to honor those impacted by the Aug. 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School. FOX 9's Leon Purvis was there.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Lydia Kaiser, an eighth grade student injured in the Aug. 27 Annunciation shooting, returned to the church two months later for the first time since the incident.

Lydia Kaiser sits in church pew where she was shot

The backstory:

According to a GoFundMe to help throughout her healing process, Kaiser this past week returned to Annunciation Church. She went to the pew where she was shot on the morning of Aug. 27 as they had an all-school mass. A gunman opened fire, killing two students and wounding 28 other people.

Kaiser not only went to the pew, she went to the mechanical closet where she hid with her father for safety. She also cut her hair on the other side of her head as a show of solidarity to another student who returned to school with her head shaved.

She had to have surgery to remove a piece of her skull to let her brain swell and heal. Kaiser was injured protecting a friend during the shooting.

Lydia’s family says she made the decision herself to return to where she was shot, the closet where she sought protection. Annunciation Church recently observed All Souls Day and Dia de los Muertos by honoring Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, the two students killed in the attack. Students wore pink to celebrate Harper’s birthday. 

The GoFundMe for Kaiser’s recovery raised more than $428,000.

Lydia Kaiser returns to school

Why you should care:

Kaiser returned to school and was back with her friends in late September. She will need ongoing care for the foreseeable future, and had to take a break from basketball and volleyball while she heals.