Overview

• Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance laid flowers at Annunciation Catholic Church, toured the sanctuary, and met privately with the parents of Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski as well as church and school leaders.
• They later visited Children’s Minnesota, where they met recovering student Lydia Kaiser and spoke by phone with 10-year-old Weston Halsne following surgery to remove a bullet fragment.
• Dozens of residents gathered across the street with signs such as “protect kids not guns,” chanting “do better” and “protect our kids” as the motorcade arrived and departed.
• Vance called the visit heartbreaking yet gratifying, urged prayers for those still hospitalized, and said leaders should focus on root causes and preventing would-be attackers from obtaining firearms without prescribing specific state actions.
• Parents, including Annunciation teacher Harry Kaiser, publicly appealed for “commonsense” bipartisan legislation, and Minnesota officials are weighing a possible special legislative session on gun policy.