Overview

• Jesse Merkel named his son, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, as one of two students killed; the other victim was a 10-year-old, and 18 people were injured, including 15 classmates and three parishioners in their 80s.
• The shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, died of a self-inflicted gunshot at the rear of Annunciation Catholic Church after firing through stained-glass windows during a school Mass.
• Police said Westman was armed with three firearms and fired 116 rifle rounds into the sanctuary, with investigators collecting hundreds of pieces of physical and digital evidence from the church and multiple residences.
• Federal officials said writings and videos showed an obsession with killing children, and they are treating the case as domestic terrorism driven by a hate-filled ideology.
• Survivor accounts described acts of bravery, including a 10-year-old shielding a friend, as the community held vigils and flags were ordered to half-staff by President Trump and Gov. Tim Walz.