For one of the most tragic and untold attacks experienced by Minnesota, local authorities speak of shooting in a Catholic school where two children died and dozens were still injured. The perpetrator, a 23 -year -old armed with carbine, pistol and hunting, opened fire through the windows while running, scattering terror to students, parents and teachers.
Two children who died eight and ten years old, while there are 14 children among the injured, two of whom are in critical condition, according to city police chief Brian O’Hara.
The FBI is investigating the incident as a “act of internal terrorism” and “hate crime”.
What happened?
Police were called to school shortly after 8:20 am (2:20 pm UK), when eyewitnesses reported that they had heard shots from a semi -automatic weapon at school.
which was done for all classes, in the first week of the school year.
Police leader Mr. O’hara said the perpetrator approached the church side and threw dozens of times. He described the attack on Minnesota as “a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people who prayed”.
He added that a wooden board was found with which side doors were blocked, as well as a smoke, but not explosive.
What do we know about Makellar?
Police said the perpetrator was believed to have been thrown into the parking lot. Mr O’hara said the suspect was identified as 23 -year -old Robin Westman. Westman changed his name in 2020, at the age of 17, with his mother’s signature. Since then he has identified himself as a woman.
Westman seems to have acted on his own and had legally bought the weapons he used.
In addition, he had planned the posting of a manifesto on YouTube, which “showed him himself at the site of the attack and contained alarming texts”. The material was withdrawn with the help of the FBI.
The video shows magazines where the phrases “for the kids” and “Kill Donald Trump” were written in pencil. According to the New York Post, the perpetrator had expressed his admiration for mass murderers, such as Adam Lanza, a 20 -year -old responsible for slaughter in Sandy Hook, the most murderous attack on an elementary school in US history, which cost his 20 -year -old life.
In the video entitled “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish”, Westman appears to flip a red notebook full of incomprehensible poems, mainly in a Cyrillic alphabet, with threats and violent references. The content is accompanied by tobacco, cough and manic laughs. The pages describes his intention to commit mass murder, explains why he targets the Annunciation – where his mother used to work – and plans to attack a large gathering of children, considering the “opportunity for easy and destructive tragedy”.
What do we know about victims?
The two children who were killed have not yet been publicly named. Among the injured are 14 children and three elderly over 80 years.
Minneapolis Hospital, Hennepin Healthcare, received 11 patients: nine children aged 6 to 14 years and two adults. Seven of them were in critical condition, and four were immediately taken to the operating room, according to Emergency Director, Dr. Thomas Wyat. Children’s Minnesota Pediatric Hospital has announced that she was hospitalized five children.
In recent briefing, Mr O’hara said that all the injured were expected to survive.
People gather in vigilance in Lynnnhurst Park after the massacre
‘It seemed to hold centuries’
An eyewitness, Bill Beneman, told Sky News that the shots “lasted for several minutes – a lot of time for real fire”. “I know how they sound fire and I was left untouched,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it was a weapon, there were so many shots. It looked like a carbine, definitely not a pistol, it had to fill many times. “
His daughter, Alexandra, who has been studying at school for nine years, said: “It makes me feel sick that people I know may have been injured or killed. I do not feel safe in the community where I grew up. With my girlfriends we said that this is like our September 11 version. “
Dada Madi Brad, who was working near the spot, arrived while the police were entering and the children were running to leave. “I was glad I saw some kids coming out of the bodies, but the look on their faces … The screams of mothers who didn’t know where their children were … were scary. On the internet you see videos, but it is not compared to living it up close. “
‘Untitled act’
At a press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the attack as a “untold act”. “Kids are dead,” he said. “There are families who mourn a child. You cannot describe in words the gravity, the tragedy, the pain of this situation. “
He stressed that the community does not just want prayers: “These kids were literally praying, it was the first week of school. They were in church, kids who should learn with their friends. “
‘Deeply worrying’
He later called in action against armed violence: “All of us, as leaders, do much more to recognize that in this country we have more weapons than people.”
Minnesota governor, Tim Waltz, added that children at school “were confronted with evil, terror and death.”
US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “I have been fully informed about the tragic incident in Minneapolis. The FBI quickly arrived at the point. The White House will continue to watch the situation. “
Minneapolis police were already investigating three deadly arms attacks within 12 hours. “The level of armed violence in the city over the last 24 hours is deeply alarming,” she said in a statement.
