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Two Children Killed in Minneapolis Church Mass Shooting as FBI Cites Hate-Fueled Ideology

Federal investigators are treating the attack as possible domestic terrorism and a hate crime.

Overview

  • Authorities identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who died by suicide after firing 116 rifle rounds through stained-glass windows during a school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church.
  • Families named the victims as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and, in a separate statement, 10-year-old Harper Moyski, as hospitals continued treating multiple wounded children.
  • Police said Westman was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, all legally purchased, and that a handgun malfunctioned during the attack, a failure officials believe prevented further casualties.
  • Investigators recovered hundreds of pieces of evidence, including videos and extensive writings that officials say express hate toward many groups and an obsession with killing children and mass murderers.
  • City officials reported 15 injured children ages 6 to 15 and three injured parishioners in their 80s, with most expected to survive, as the probe continues with no single triggering motive established.