Overview

• The vice president and second lady met privately at Annunciation Catholic Church with the parents of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, laid flowers at a memorial, and then visited injured children at Children’s Minnesota hospital.
• Harry and Leah Kaiser, whose daughter Lydia is hospitalized, urged Vance to back “commonsense, bipartisan legislation” and to support a serious study of the nation’s mass‑shooting problem, saying thoughts and prayers have not been enough.
• Outside the church, several dozen protesters called for action to prevent gun violence, while Vance kept a low profile during the trip and did not meet with Minnesota political leaders.
• Vance told reporters families asked officials to focus on root causes and on preventing people planning to target kids from obtaining firearms, and he asked the public to pray for victims still recovering.
• Authorities have identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who died by suicide, and say more than 100 rounds were fired; Minnesota officials are weighing a special legislative session to consider new gun policies.