The community of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, experienced a shooting on
Aug. 27. A shooter fired into the windows from the outside of the building, injuring 21 people and killing two young children.
Eighteen of those injured were children between the ages of 6 and 15, according to ABC. The remaining three injured were all adults in their 80s, who, at the time of the shooting, were attending morning mass.
The two deceased were identified as eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.
Jesse Merkel, Fletcher Merkel’s father, said, “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play,” in a press conference on NBC News Now.
He then went on to describe the shooting as a “senseless act of violence” and stated, “because of [the suspect’s] actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming.”
Harper Moyski’s parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, described her as a “bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her,” in a statement provided to ABC Minneapolis station KSTP.
Officials have since identified the suspect as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who died from self-inflicted wounds at the scene.
As of Sept. 3, there is no definitive answer as to what exactly Westman’s motive was, but according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara during a press conference, Westman, “fantasized about the plans of other mass shooters.”
According to ABC, Westman had previously attended Annunciation Catholic School, and Westman’s mother had worked at the school church until 2021.
Westman had no previous criminal history and was not on the radar of the police at the time of the shooting, according to NPR.
There have been a total of 44 school shootings in 2025 so far, according to CNN. Out of these, half occurred on college campuses and the remaining half occurred at K-12 schools.
According to CNN data, the rate of school shootings lessened in 2020 during the pandemic, but there has been a record number of school shootings every year since.
In 2021, there were a total of 74 school shootings, with 39 occurring by August of that year. There were 80 shootings reported in 2022, 82 in 2023 and 83 last year, reflecting that the number has been increasing over the last four years.
This shooting at Annunciation Catholic School has started a new conversation around gun control, as families and communities pressure politicians to take action.
