Two Children Killed in Deadly Church Shooting in Minnesota

Tragedy struck in Minneapolis on Wednesday when a heavily armed gunman stormed into a church service filled with school children, unleashing a hail of bullets that left two young boys dead and at least 17 others wounded.

Police confirmed that the children, ages 8 and 10, were gunned down as they sat inside Annunciation Church, where dozens of students from the neighboring school were attending Mass to mark their first week back in class.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara described the attack as an act of pure cruelty and cowardice.

“Two young children, ages eight and ten, were killed where they sat in the pews,” O’Hara said. “Seventeen others were injured, including 14 children. This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.”

Authorities say the gunman, believed to be in his early twenties, carried out the rampage using a rifle, shotgun, and pistol before turning one of the weapons on himself in the church’s parking lot.

Emergency crews and terrified parents rushed to the scene, with live video showing families frantically pulling their children from the church as law enforcement swarmed the area. Two of the wounded remain in critical condition.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he was “praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey delivered an emotional statement, blasting the endless cycle of school shootings that has gripped the United States:

“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. They should be learning with their friends, playing on the playground. They should be able to go to school or church in peace, without fear of violence.”

President Donald Trump confirmed that he had been briefed on the “tragic shooting,” adding that the FBI is now involved in the investigation.

The massacre comes on the heels of a wave of false active shooter reports at colleges across the U.S. as students return from summer break, highlighting once again the nation’s deep and ongoing gun violence crisis — in a country where firearms continue to outnumber people.