Minnesota, United States – Tragedy struck in the state of Minnesota, United States when a gunman opened fire during a Mass at a Catholic school, killing two young students and wounding 17 others.
The attack happened Wednesday morning (time in America) during an all-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.
Local officials say the gunman, armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, fired from outside through the stained-glass windows of the church.
Weapons recovered at the scene had all been legally and recently purchased.
Two students, ages 8 and 10, were killed instantly.
Meanwhile, among the 17 wounded were 14 students, ranging from 6 to 18 years old, along with three elderly parishioners.
The attacker, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, was said to be a former student of the school.
On the other hand, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristie Noem on X wrote that the suspect identified as a transgender and whose name was already changed.
Reuters also revealed that Westman had been struggling with depression and left behind online videos containing a suicide note expressing the aggresive intent.
The shooter was later found dead in the school’s parking lot from due to self-inflicted gunshot.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is treating the case as both an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, as they continue to investigate.
According to the US K-12 School Shooting Database, this tragedy marks the 146th school-related shooting in the country so far this year.