What to know about the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school

A shooter opened fire Wednesday morning during Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing two children and injuring 17 other people before dying by suicide, officials said.

The shooting happened at Annunciation Catholic School, just days after the first day of school there on Monday.

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Of the 17 injured, police said 14 were children, with their ages ranging from 6 to 15. All of the victims are expected to survive, authorities said.

The shooting was the latest in a long list of attacks targeting students since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado.

Here are some of the things to know about the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School.

What do we know about the victims?

The two children who were killed were 8 and 10 years old, officials said. Authorities have not released the identities of the victims, but they said the children who were killed were fatally shot while they were sitting in the church pews.

The three adults who were injured are parishioners in their 80s, officials said.

Officials estimate there were nearly 200 students inside the church at the time.

What do we know about the shooter?

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter — armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol — approached the side of the church and shot through the windows toward the children inside before dying by suicide.

He said the shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, did not have an extensive known criminal history, acted alone and had legally purchased the weapons recently.

The suspect was a former Annunciation student and had previously been a member of the church, O’Hara said on NBC’s “TODAY” show Thursday morning. Westman’s mother had worked at the church for five years, retiring in 2021, according to a church Facebook post that year.

Federal officials referred to Westman as transgender, and the mayor decried hatred being directed at “our transgender community.” Westman’s gender identity wasn’t clear. In 2020, a judge approved a petition, signed by Westman’s mother, asking for a name change from Robert to Robin, saying the petitioner “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”

What do we know about the motive for the attack?

The alleged shooter released at least two videos on YouTube before the channel was taken down Wednesday. In one, the alleged shooter shows a cache of weapons and ammunition, some with such phrases as “kill Donald Trump” and “Where is your God?” written on them.

The person holds up a letter to relatives, sings the word “tomorrow” and says, “I’m sorry to my family … that’s the only people I’m sorry to.”

A second video shows the alleged shooter pointing to two outside windows in what appears to be a drawing of the church, and then stabbing it with a long knife.

O’Hara said investigators have searched three residences connected to Westman and have gathered hundreds of pieces of evidence, including additional writings.

“We’ve seen a whole lot of hate against a whole variety of people … but nothing specific to point to as the motive for targeting this church,” the police chief said on the “TODAY” show.

What do we know about the school?

The school, which goes from pre-K to eighth grade, had 391 students enrolled for the 2023-2024 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Each grade level has two classes, with about 20 students in each class.

It is in the city’s Windom neighborhood, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis.

The school’s website says teachers “focus on Christian values and civic-mindedness.” Principal Matt DeBoer said that, during the shooting, adults protected the children, with older children protecting younger ones.

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Associated Press writer Bruce Schreiner in Frankfort, Kentucky, contributed to this report.