Fatal Shooting Sparks Increased School Policing and Calls for Prevention

MINNEAPOLIS—Extra police are keeping watch at schools throughout the metro area here after a mass-casualty shooting left the community reeling and demanding preventive action.

The Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments worked with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies “to expand patrols around all schools within Minneapolis over the next couple of weeks,” the City of Minneapolis said. Officers were being organized into “two-person squads, with two squads assigned per precinct across five precincts in Minneapolis, with a particular focus on schools and places of worship.”

Leaders announced the enhanced police presence on Aug. 28, a day after a gunman killed two schoolchildren, wounded 15 other youths, and also injured three elderly parishioners at Annunciation Catholic Church before turning the gun on himself. The church shares a campus with Annunciation Catholic School along the 500 block of West 54th Street in southwest Minneapolis.

Although officials have said they expected the wounded victims to survive, one patient remained in critical condition, Hennepin Healthcare said on Aug. 29, noting that six patients remained hospitalized, five of them children. The lone adult was listed in serious condition. Officials have said that some of the patients took bullets while using their bodies to shield others.

No motive has been released for the violence, but authorities were investigating it as a hate crime targeting Catholics and an act of domestic terrorism. All 20 victims were attending a back-to-school Mass at the church when the gunman opened fire through stained-glass windows around 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 27.

The church’s interior became a crime scene, while the exterior was transformed into a living tribute to the victims, particularly those slain: Fletcher Merkel, an 8-year-old boy, and Harper Moyski, a 10-year-old girl. No information on their funerals had been publicly released as of Aug. 29.

The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis has not said when Mass or classes would resume; Catholic law requires a purification rite to be conducted before “a sacred place” such as a church can be used for divine worship in the aftermath of “gravely injurious actions done in them with scandal to the faithful.”

The archdiocese said people can “support Annunciation Parish and School virtually” with their prayers by viewing Annunciation Masses at 5 p.m. Aug. 30 and 9:30 a.m. Aug. 31 via livestream on the archdiocese’s Facebook page.

On Aug. 29, at least four police officers were on duty at the Annunciation campus as steady streams of mourners continued bringing floral bouquets, stuffed animals, balloons, and artwork as tokens of their love and grief.

Along main routes near the school, shopkeepers placed signs in their windows with messages of support for Annunciation. Volunteers tied blue-and-green streamers—the school’s colors—into bows on utility poles. On one pole, a cardboard sign decorated with pink hearts read, “Bake Sale Today … to benefit moms demand action.”

Giant letters scrawled on the sidewalk near the church read, “When you pray, move your feet”—admonishing prayerful people to act.

Church leaders suggested one step people could take: contribute to the Annunciation Hope and Healing Fund. The money would be used “for the needs of the church and school and to provide support to those affected by the tragedy,” the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota announced.

Although it’s unclear what action elected leaders might take, the Annunciation shooting has reinvigorated long-simmering debates over gun-control laws and mental health issues.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the deceased shooter was Robin Westman, 23, “a male born as Robert Westman.” He reportedly had struggled with depression.

Westman also “had some deranged fascination with previous mass shootings,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters on Aug. 28. The chief said his remarks were based on a review of Westman’s writings and videos.

Joseph Thompson, acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said at the same press conference that Westman was “obsessed with the idea of killing children.”

A weapon that the gunman used was a semiautomatic rifle, records show, and authorities said he fired 116 rounds within four minutes.

In response, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and others are pushing for local, state, or federal bans on semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines.

In response to calls for stricter gun laws, Kentucky state Rep. T.J. Roberts, who represents District 66, said, “Minnesota has a ban on private sales of guns without background checks, has red flag laws, has a safe storage law, has a total K-12 gun ban, requires mental health services to report people’s mental health records to NICS, and has a waiting period to purchase a gun.”

But none of those prohibitions stopped the gunman from ambushing Annunciation, Roberts wrote on X.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted Aug. 29, “It’s time to take serious action at the State Capitol to address gun violence.”

He didn’t provide any specifics.

First Lady Melania Trump said the Annunciation shooting “illuminates the need for pre-emptive intervention in identifying potential school shooters.”

“Early warning signs are often evident, with many individuals exhibiting concerning behaviors and making violent threats online prior to their actions,” she wrote on X. “To prevent future tragedies, it is crucial we look into behavioral threat assessments across all levels of society—beginning in our homes, extending through school districts, and of course, social media platforms.

“Being aware of these warning signs and acting quickly can save lives and make American communities safer.”