What we know about Minneapolis school shooting – and the suspected attacker | US News

Two youngsters have been killed and 17 different individuals injured after a shooter opened hearth at a college in Minneapolis.

The shooter – Robin Westman – opened fire with a rifle by means of the home windows of a church at Annunciation Catholic Faculty and struck a gaggle of kids as they sat in pews on Wednesday morning.

As it happened: FBI says attack investigated as ‘terrorism’

The victims killed have been aged eight and 10, and the others injured included 14 youngsters, two of whom have been in a essential situation, in accordance with the town’s police chief Brian O’Hara.

Here’s what we all know to this point.

What occurred?

Police have been known as to the college at simply after 8.20am (2.20pm UK time) after witnesses reported listening to semi-automatic gunfire on the pre-kindergarten by means of eighth-grade faculty.

The capturing occurred throughout a mass for all 12 months teams, coming throughout the first week of time period.

Police chief Mr O’Hara mentioned the shooter – armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol – approached the facet of the church and fired dozens of rounds.

He known as the assault in Minnesota a “deliberate act of violence in opposition to harmless youngsters and different individuals worshipping”.

He additionally mentioned a wood plank had been used to barricade some facet doorways.

Authorities discovered a smoke bomb however no explosives on the scene, Mr O’Hara mentioned.

The FBI mentioned it’s investigating the capturing as an “act of home terrorism” and a “hate crime concentrating on Catholics”.

What we all know in regards to the suspect

Police mentioned they believed the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the positioning’s automotive park.

Mr O’Hara mentioned the suspect had been recognized as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman.

Westman is believed to have acted alone within the assault and had lawfully bought the rifle, pistol, and shotgun used.

He added Westman had scheduled a manifesto to be launched on YouTube and that it “appeared to point out him on the scene and included some disturbing writings”.

He mentioned the content material was taken down with the help of the FBI.

Requested a few motive, Mr O’Hara mentioned he had no info to share aside from the manifesto that was scheduled to return out on YouTube.

“I can’t verify a relationship between the suspect or his household and the church at the moment, however that is clearly one thing we’re trying very intently at,” he added.

What do we all know in regards to the victims?

The 2 youngsters killed haven’t but been named publicly.

The others injured included 14 youngsters and three adults of their 80s, in accordance with police.

After the incident the primary trauma hospital in Minneapolis, Hennepin Healthcare, obtained 11 sufferers, together with 9 youngsters – aged six to 14 – and two adults, emergency drugs chair Dr Thomas Wyatt mentioned.

He mentioned seven of the sufferers have been critically injured and that 4 had been taken to working rooms.

Youngsters’s Minnesota, a paediatric trauma hospital, mentioned in an announcement that 5 youngsters have been admitted.

In a later replace, Mr O’Hara mentioned all of these injured within the capturing have been anticipated to outlive.

‘It appeared prefer it went on for eternity’

Invoice Bienemann, a witness to the capturing, advised Sky Information it went on “for a number of minutes – a very long time for dwell gunfire”.

“I do know what gunfire feels like, and I used to be shocked,” he added. “I mentioned there is no approach that may very well be gunfire, there was a lot of it.

“It appeared like a rifle, it definitely did not sound like a handgun, so he should have reloaded a number of instances.”

His daughter Alexandra, who attended the college for 9 years, added: “It makes me sick to my abdomen figuring out that there is in all probability individuals I do know which can be injured or possibly have been killed.

“It does not make me really feel protected in any respect on this group that I’ve been part of for therefore lengthy.

“Me and my pals have been speaking, and we mentioned that is like our model of 9/11.”

Madee Brandt, a nanny who works close to the capturing scene, pulled into the world simply as police arrived and youngsters fled.

“I used to be grateful to see children popping out unhurt, protected, however simply [seeing] the seems to be on a few of their faces… simply the screams coming from the mums who did not know the place their children are,” Brandt advised reporters.

“You see movies on-line, nevertheless it doesn’t evaluate to seeing it and witnessing it in individual. That was tough.”

Mayor calls capturing ‘unspeakable act’

At a information convention, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey mentioned the capturing was an “unspeakable act”.

“Youngsters are useless,” he mentioned. “There are households which have a deceased baby. You can not put into phrases the gravity, the tragedy, or absolutely the ache of this example.”

He mentioned the group did not simply need prayers, including: “These children have been actually praying, it was the primary week of faculty.

“They have been in a church, these are children that ought to be studying with their pals.”

‘Deeply unsettling’

Later, he known as for motion on gun violence, saying: “I feel the impetus needs to be on all of us as leaders to do a complete lot extra to recognise that we have got extra weapons on this nation than we have now individuals.”

Minnesota governor Tim Walz added youngsters on the faculty had been met with “evil and horror and loss of life”.

Responding to the studies, US President Donald Trump mentioned on Fact Social: “I’ve been totally briefed on the tragic capturing in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“The FBI shortly responded and they’re on the scene. The White Home will proceed to observe this horrible scenario.”

Minneapolis Police have been already investigating three lethal shootings within the house of 12 hours.

“The extent of gun violence throughout the town inside the final day is deeply unsettling,” the Minneapolis Police Division mentioned.