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Annunciation shooting: Other churches welcome grieving community
Other churches around the area are welcoming the community to come and grieve together after the tragic shooting at Annunciation School and Church. FOX 9's Babs Santos has more.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Just days after tragedy struck in south Minneapolis, mass services resumed at Annunciation Church.
The church welcomes worshipers in its auditorium, and on Saturday and Sunday, Archbishop Bernard Hebda presided over services.
More churches taking action
What you need to know:
Also on Saturday, Richfield United Methodist Church opened its doors to all.
Reverend Nate Melcher led a grief support gathering where community members could speak openly or simply sit in silence.
"I’m hoping everyone remembers that they’re not alone. None of us have to go through this alone. In fact, none of us can," Melcher said.
Licensed counselors are available in Richfield to guide conversations on trauma and coping.
"Sometimes the best thing we can do is just close our mouths and listen to someone else so they can feel that support," Melcher added.
As south Minneapolis processes the chaotic events of the past week, the community is coming together in multiple ways.
"Dealing with grief is a holistic process. It will take people coming together in different ways," Melcher finished.
Annunciation 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.
Dig deeper:
Read more about the Annunciation mass shooting:
- What we know so far - Aug. 28 updates
- What we know about the victims
- What’s known about shooting suspect Robin Westman
- Victim recalls ‘super scary’ attack during mass
- Emergency audio reveals medical response, injuries
- How you can help
- Search warrant reveals new details about the shooter
- What we know about the shooter's motive
- All stories related to the Annunciation Church and School shooting