What we know about the shooting
- Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed and 18 other people were injured yesterday when a shooter opened fire during a morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.
- Fifteen children ages 6 to 15 and three adult parishioners were wounded.
- The shooter has been identified as Robin Westman, 23, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. Three firearms have been recovered, and police said the shooter acted alone.
- Though the shooter had disturbing posts on social media, there is no evidence to suggest that she was legally barred from purchasing a firearm, officials said.
- FBI Director Kash Patel identified the shooter as male. Legal documents requesting a name change for Westman say she identified as female.
Police visited shooter's home twice when she was a teen, records show
Even though police were called to the shooter's home seven years before yesterday's mass shooting, it does not appear any alarms were sounded as she amassed an arsenal that included the rifle, the pistol and the shotgun used in the attack on the church.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said today that authorities do not have information indicating that the shooter suffered from mental illness and that, other than a traffic ticket, she did not have a police record.
“There is nothing in the investigation so far that would lead us to believe that anything was missed,” O’Hara said.
The shooter, he said, was able to “lawfully purchase these weapons.”
O’Hara added that the shooter's family has been cooperating with investigators, but they have not yet located his mother, who lives in another state. Records show her residence as being in Florida.
Second victim identified as 'joyful' 10-year-old Harper Moyski
Harper Moyski, 10, was identified today as the second fatal victim in yesterday’s school shooting.
Her parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, remembered her as “a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her.”
“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain,” their statement said.
They urged leaders and communities to “take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.”
“Change is possible, and it is necessary — so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies,” the statement said.
‘Give your kids an extra hug and kiss’: 8-year-old victim's father speaks out
Jesse Merkel, the father of 8-year-old shooting victim Fletcher Merkel, spoke out after the violent attack that killed his son.
Merkel asked that his son be remembered for who he was, not the act of violence that ended his life.
8-year-old victim identified as Fletcher Merkel
The father of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel made an emotional statement to the media today, identifying his son as one of the two children killed in yesterday's shooting.
Jesse Merkel blamed the actions of a "coward" for the fact that Fletcher's family cannot "hold him, talk to him, play with him and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming."
"Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sports that he was allowed to play," his father said. "While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing."
A spokesperson for the family, Blois Olson, said that Fletcher was the third of four children.
Three of the four Merkel children were attending Mass yesterday; the other two were not injured, Olson said.
Jesse Merkle said he prayed that the family of the 10-year-old victim could find some semblance of healing one day, as well.
Merkel asked that people remember Fletcher for who he was as a person and not the action that ended his life.
"I've heard many stories accounting the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike from inside the church," he said. "Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I am thankful."
Shooter didn't meet criteria to block firearm sale, officials say
Though the shooter had some disturbing posts on social media, there is no evidence to suggest that she was legally barred from purchasing a firearm, O'Hara told reporters.
Before yesterday, the shooter did not have a criminal history or any diagnosed mental health disorders, O'Hara said. There was no record of any mental health commitments by the state, either, O'Hara added.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions, reiterated that when reporters asked about reports regarding the shooter's social media presence. He said that there are a specific process and a legal threshold that have to be met in Minnesota to prohibit firearms sales.
"We need the help of the public and everybody else if there's concerning social media behavior by anybody — or that there's concern in their community— that they are contacting their law enforcement so that we can adequately address that in the process," Evans said. "That did not happen in this case."
In Minneapolis, mourners have been gathering since sunrise outside the church. NBC News’ Jay Gray reports on the grief and frustration being expressed at the scene, as well as the calls for gun legislation.
More than 100 shell casings found; authorities say shooter wanted to 'watch children suffer'
Officials found around 120 shell casings from three different guns the shooter used yesterday, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said today at a news briefing.
There were 116 rifle rounds recovered, as well as three shotgun rounds and a live bullet trapped in a handgun after it apparently jammed in the chamber, O'Hara said. No specific motive was given; O'Hara described the shooter as having a "fascination" with mass shootings.
O'Hara said a significant amount of evidence has been collected through search warrants at three residences associated with the shooter. He said it is clear that the shooter's actions were "to obtain notoriety."
The shooter had an obsession with the idea of killing children, according to Joseph Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota.
"I won't dignify the shooter's words by repeating them," Thompson said. "They are horrific and vile, but in short, the shooter wanted to watch children suffer."
Advocates and politicians call for assault weapons ban
Advocates and other state legislators joined Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in a joint call today for legislative reform on guns.
Frey urged Minneapolis politicians to lead the call to ban assault weapons, saying the issue has not moved in years at any level.
"We need action at the federal level. We need action at the state level," Frey said. "We need coordination with the cities around the country to make sure that every person has this common foundation of safety where they can send their kid off to school and have the confidence that they will be safe."
Leah Kondes, of the local chapter of Moms Demand Action, described such firearms as weapons of war, which Omar addressed in her own speech. Omar reminded the crowd that she survived war in her native country, Somalia, when she was a child.
"I'd never imagined that I come to the United States and be in high school and that there would be a school shooting and that I, myself and my kids to come would practice school drills on how to avoid being gunned down in one of the greatest nations in the world," Omar said. "There is something fundamentally broken."
FBI director updates shooter investigation
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency has gathered information and evidence in the shooting "demonstrating this was an act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology."
He said the shooter left anti-Catholic and anti-religious references both in her "manifesto" and written on her firearms, as well as an "explicit call for violence against President Trump" written on a firearm magazine, Patel said.
The shooter also "expressed hatred and violence toward Jewish people," with writings such as "Israel must fall" and "Free Palestine," as well as using "explicit language" relating to the Holocaust.
Patel said that the investigation continues and that the FBI will provide updates when available.
Police update on shooting at 2 p.m. CT
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) to discuss yesterday's shooting.
Federal, state, county and local law enforcement officers will discuss the response and the investigation.
The news conference will be in the press room of the Minneapolis Police Department.
