Two children killed in Minnesota Catholic school shooting

Over in the U.S.

A tragic shooting killed two children and injured 17 others during Mass to mark the first week of class at a catholic school in Minneapolis.

Lee Seung-jae reports.

Two children were killed and 17 others injured when a shooter opened fire during morning Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday local time.

Police say the shooter fired dozens of rounds through church windows just before 8:30 AM, targeting children and parishioners sitting in the pews.

The victims include 14 children between the ages of six and fifteen, and three parishioners in their eighties.

The two children who died were eight and ten years old.

Authorities say all of the injured are expected to survive.

"At this point, we know we have a total of 19 victims from this tragedy. Two were young children, ages eight and ten, they were sitting in the pews at mass when they were shot and killed. They were pronounced deceased on the scene."

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara added that staff members acted heroically, moving students under pews and helping evacuate them within minutes once it was safe.

The FBI identified the shooter as a 23-year-old Robin Westman, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.

Westman was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, all of which were purchased recently and legally.

Court records also show that Westman, who identified as a female, was born Robert Westman.

In the wake of the tragedy, Pope Leo the Fourteenth expressed his "profound sorrow."

In a message delivered over Telegram to Archbishop Bernard Hebda, the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Pope commended the souls of the two children to God and offered prayers for the wounded, first responders, clergy, and loved ones.

The shooting took place during a Mass, as the school entered the first week of the new school year.

Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.