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Annunciation shooting: Student recalls tragedy
A student of Annunciation Church and School in Minneapolis recalls the shooting 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.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - An attack at the Annunciation School and Church in Minneapolis on Wednesday left two children dead, and 18 people injured and at least one student-aged victim "confused" about the "very scary" attack that occurred in front of him.
Minneapolis school attack
The backstory:
Shortly before 8:30 a.m., several agencies responded to the report of a shooting at the Annunciation Church and Catholic School, located on the 500 block of West 54th Street in south Minneapolis.
According to Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O'Hara, a masked gunman approached from the outside of the church and began firing several weapons through the church windows towards children gathered for mass. He was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and is believed to have fired dozens of rounds cumulatively from all three, according to police.
First responders arrived to rescue hiding children throughout the church, according to O'Hara, when they learned of an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old that had died.
During the attack, 18 others were also injured, 15 of whom were children. Two remain in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon.
The suspect, believed to be in his early 20s with no known extensive criminal history, is reportedly dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Sources have confirmed to FOX 9 that law enforcement authorities have identified the shooter as Robin Westman.
Minneapolis school shooting student recalls attack
Dig deeper:
During the attack, students were taking part in a morning mass, according to one who spoke with FOX 9 in the aftermath.
The attack began around three minutes after mass started, according to the student, who said his friend was shot in the back after it began while he tried to lay on top of him.
"We got in pews, and he shot through the stained-glass windows… I was down and didn’t look up," he told FOX 9. "My best friend [was hit]. He was lying on top of me, making sure I was safe, and he got hit. That was really brave of him."
The student said they had previously practiced active shooter drills before at the school, but never in the church.
"I’m just kinda confused… I never thought it would happen, and then it did," he said.
What's next:
Authorities are still working to piece together a motive for the attack.