FBI looks into Minneapolis school shooting as anti-Catholic hate crime
The FBI says a school shooting in Minneapolis, where two children were killed and 17 people were injured, is being investigated as an anti-Catholic hate crime.
FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X that the attack is being treated as both domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics.
The victims were two children, ages 8 and 10, who died after a man shot through the windows of Annunciation Church on Wednesday morning during a children’s Mass.
The attacker, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy and offered prayers for the victims.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara called the shooting a “planned act of violence against innocent children and worshippers.” He described it as “cowardly and cruel.”
He added that while Minneapolis police are leading the investigation, federal agencies are also involved. A motive has not yet been confirmed.
The shooting began just before 8:00 a.m. local time. The attacker used a rifle, shotgun, and pistol to fire dozens of rounds from outside the church, which also houses a school. A smoke bomb was also found at the scene.
Police are still checking whether any shots were fired inside the building, as no bullet casings were found indoors.
A local resident, PJ Mudd, said he heard loud bangs while working from home: “It suddenly hit me—it was a shooting.” He later saw empty cartridges on the ground near the church.
A 10-year-old boy who lived through the attack told CBS WCCO that his friend saved him by covering him with his body.
“I was sitting two seats away from the stained-glass window,” the boy said. “My friend Victor saved me because he laid on top of me, but he got shot.”
“Victor was hit in the back and taken to the hospital. I was really scared for him, but I think he’s okay now,” he added.
The Annunciation Church in southern Minneapolis runs a school for children aged 5 to 14.
Police said the attacker’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, used to work at the school. A 2016 newsletter mentioned her, and a Facebook post said she retired in 2021.
Investigators also found a note Westman had planned to post online during the shooting, but they deleted it afterward.
Governor Tim Walz said President Donald Trump sent his “deep condolences” and offered help.
Walz added that shootings like this happen too often in Minnesota and across the U.S. He said he hoped no other school or community would ever face such a tragedy.
Later, Trump announced that the U.S. flag at the White House would be lowered to half-mast to honor the victims.
Published: 28th August 2025
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