Father of slain child: ‘The hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled’

Minneapolis families are still waiting for answers as more details are revealed about the shooter who gunned down children attending Catholic school Mass this week.

Two children died and 18 other people, mostly children, were injured in a mass shooting Wednesday morning that came on the heels of other high-profile acts of violence in the Twin Cities.

The reported school shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, according to police.

Although Westman’s motive remains unclear, acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said “the shooter expressed hate towards almost every group imaginable.”

Here’s what we know so far:

Follow live updates below:

7:17 p.m. - Harper Moyski, one of two children killed in Wednesday’s mass shooting, was a “bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her,” her parents said in a statement Thursday.

“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss,” the parents said.

Eight-year-old Fletcher A. Merkel was also killed in the shooting. Harper’s parents said they are also grieving for Fletcher’s family and others hurt in the attack.

They expressed gratitude to the staff of Annunciation church and school and first responders, “who did so much for so many yesterday.”

The parents emphasized that their daughter’s memory should fuel action. They urged leaders to “take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country. Change is possible, and it is necessary — so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies."

“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support,” the statement said. “Harper’s light will always shine through us, and we hope her memory inspires others to work toward a safer, more compassionate world.”

-Elliot Hughes

7:03 p.m. - A document made public Thursday in Hennepin County District Court reveals more about the shooter who opened fire Wednesday at Annunciation Church and School.

A search warrant affidavit filed Wednesday led to law enforcement seizing items from the Minneapolis home of Robin Westman’s father on the day of the shooting: a tactical vest, two external media storage devices and various documents.

According to the filing:

Westman’s tactical gear-clad body was found by police behind the church with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

John Westman told a Minneapolis police sergeant that Robin “broke up with a significant and/or romantic partner … recently,” moved out of a home in Richfield and in with a friend in St. Louis Park, the filing read.

- Paul Walsh

7:01 p.m. - In the sanctuary of the Basilica of St. Mary, faith leaders from Catholic, Jewish and Muslim traditions sat side by side. Between rounds of song and moments of reflection, each rose in turn to read prayers from their faith. Attendees sat hushed, listening as the prayers braided across traditions before lifting their own voices to sing.

“Our hearts are so broken in this moment, in times of mourning and sadness,” Senior Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman of Temple Israel in Minneapolis said during the interfaith service.

The Rev. Daniel Griffith of the Basilica of St. Mary thanked attendees for their presence, calling it an expression of unity.

Griffith ended the ceremony by welcoming members of the Annunciation Catholic School and parish community to take home a candle or a prayer book. Attendees filed out of the pews, with many gathering in clusters, whispering softly and embracing each other in the aisles.

— Sofia Barnett

6:40 p.m. - The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the two children killed in Wednesday’s mass shooting as Harper L. Moyski, 10, and Fletcher A. Merkel, 8, both of Minneapolis.

— Paul Walsh

6:30 p.m. - During the interfaith service, a message from Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin was read on behalf of Pope Leo. The pope said he was “profoundly saddened” by the shooting in Minneapolis and assured families of his prayers and spiritual closeness.

— Sofia Barnett

5:57 p.m. - Every pew in the Basilica of St. Mary was filled as community members of all faiths gathered for a service to pray for the families of Annunciation Church. Some knelt before sitting, tracing the sign of the cross across their bodies in a quiet Catholic ritual.

From the stage, members of the church choir stepped down and moved between the pews, their voices carrying the hymn, “God weeps with us who weep and mourn.”

The music swelled through the basilica, echoing from its vaulted corners as attendees joined in song.

— Sofia Barnett

- Louis Krauss

5:38 p.m. - Libby Passa is a 10-year-old student at Annunciation School. She remembers the harrowing morning of Aug. 27 – the day when a shooter killed two of her classmates during their back-to-school morning Mass.

- Amanda Anderson

5:26 p.m. - At the bottom steps of the Basilica of St. Mary stand two wooden crosses with hearts, one for each child killed at Annunciation Church on Wednesday.

Handwritten messages of support cover the crosses. “Fly high,” someone wrote on the 8-year-old’s cross. “You are loved,” someone wrote on the 10-year-old’s. “We will miss you” was written on both.

- Sofia Barnett

5:10 p.m. - On Thursday morning, a sign with Fletcher’s name on it was left under a flower pot just outside the church. It read, “I love you always and forever, mom.”

- Louis Krauss

5:05 p.m. - An afternoon update from Children’s Minnesota said only one child remained at the hospital after Wednesday’s shooting.

Six children have been discharged. When the seven first arrived at Children’s, none were in critical condition. Neither the hospital nor public officials have disclosed information about the patients.

4:21 p.m. - One of the children wounded during Wednesday’s shooting at Annunciation Church and School is being praised for “selfless acts” that helped spare others from injury. Ten-year-old Victor Greenawalt and a sister were both injured by gunfire, according to an online fundraising campaign started by his uncle Mike Kelly.

“Victor is one of the brave victims who survived the tragedy that unfolded,” Kelly wrote in his posting. “His selfless acts help to save many, but he and his sister were injured in the process. Vic, along with his family, have started the long journey of recovery. A journey that involves unknown and ongoing future medical costs.”

- Paul Walsh

4:10 p.m. - The father of one of the children slain by a shooter at Annunciation Church addressed the media Thursday afternoon.

“Yesterday, the coward decided to take our 8-year-old son, Fletcher, away from us,” Jesse Merkel said.

“Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play,” Merkel said. “While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family will find healing. I pray that the other victim’s family can find some semblance of the same. The past day, I’ve heard many stories of the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike, from inside the church. Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I’m thankful.”

- Sofia Barnett

3:55 p.m. - Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opened their news conference Thursday with condolences to those affected by the mass shooting.

“I pray that we don’t have to start a press conference like this again,” Adofo-Mensah said. “... And I pray that we break some of the divisiveness that’s involved right now that we’re in this cycle of inactivity towards being able to find solutions to solve some of these issues.”

O’Connell said Vikings coaches and front office staff were in the middle of discussions on the team’s roster construction when the news broke and they temporarily stopped their work.

“It’s impossible for me to wrap my mind around what those parents are feeling,” O’Connell said. “I’m just absolutely heartbroken for them. No child should ever be lost to violence in any way.”

- Emily Leiker

3:20 p.m. - Supporters of a family whose daughter was shot Wednesday at Annunciation Catholic School are detailing her injuries and resilience in those terrifying moments.

An online fundraising campaign started on behalf of the family of 9-year-old Vivian St. Clair noted that despite being shot, she “ran from the church to the school gym, where a police officer scooped her up and rushed her to an ambulance.”

Vivian was taken to HCMC, where her mother works, the posting continued.

- Paul Walsh

2:45 p.m. - One of the children wounded in Wednesday’s shooting was taken to the hospital where her mother was on duty as a nurse. Seventh-grader Sophia Forchas remains at HCMC Thursday afternoon in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

According to an online fundraising campaign started to help the family with medical and other expenses, Sophia’s mother, Amy Forchas, is a pediatric critical care nurse who reported for work in response to the shooting.

Forchas arrived at HCMC “before knowing it was her children’s school that was attacked and that her daughter was critically injured,” a posting on the campaign’s web page read.

Sophia’s younger brother, Anthony, was also in the church, the post said. “Though he was physically unharmed,” the post continued, “the trauma of witnessing such a terrifying event — and knowing his sister was critically injured — is something no child should ever experience.”

2:37 p.m. - Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said investigators have not yet spoken with Robin Westman’s mother, but their efforts to do so continue.

O’Hara also said surveillance video captured the shooting, which was how authorities were able to verify Westman did not enter the church.

- Sofia Barnett

2:32 p.m. - The family of one of the children killed in Wednesday’s shooting at Annunciation Church and School is planning to read a statement this afternoon, a family representative said. The statement about the 8-year-old boy will be issued outside the church at 4 p.m., the representative said. The other child who was killed was a 10-year-old girl. Officials have yet to release their identities.

- Paul Walsh

Read more on the doctors’ response here.

- Jeremy Olson

2:26 p.m. - Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that Robin Westman attended Mass at Annunciation, attended the school and that Westman’s mother had been employed at the church.

He said Annunciation church had a policy that once Mass began, the church doors were locked.

“This incident occurred shortly after the Mass was beginning, so there’s no question that the fact that doors were locked likely saved additional lives at the same time,” he said. “We also know that the shooter intended to barricade and did barricade the doors on the same side of the church where children were slaughtered by a shooter who could not see them.”

— Sofia Barnett

2:24 p.m. - FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin Winston Sr. said the FBI had no prior contact with suspected shooter Robin Westman.

— Sofia Barnett

2:19 p.m. - Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said that although the suspect’s motive is unclear, “the shooter expressed hate towards almost every group imaginable.”

“The shooter expressed hate towards Black people. The shooter expressed hate towards Mexican people. The shooter expressed hate towards Jewish people. In short, the shooter appeared to hate all of us,” he said. “There appears to be only one group that the shooter didn’t hate, one group of people who the shooter admired. The shooter idolized some of the most notorious school shooters and mass murderers in our country.”

— Sofia Barnett

2:14 p.m. - At a news conference with state and federal officials, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara provided further details about the shooting.

About 116 rifle rounds were recovered, along with three shotgun shells. One live round was recovered from a handgun that appears to have malfunctioned and became stuck in the chamber. Hundreds of pieces of evidence, including electronic devices, have been gathered.

“What we have seen so far is this is an individual who, unfortunately, like so many other mass shooters that we have seen in this country too often and around the world, had some deranged fascination with previous mass shooters and very disturbing writings that demonstrate hatred towards many different individuals and different groups of people. And he fantasized about the plans of other mass shootings.”

“We know ultimately the purpose of the shooter’s actions was to obtain notoriety for the shooter themselves,” O’Hara added. “That being said, I have only said the name of this shooter once.”

2:07 p.m. - A third-grader named Rosie, whose father declined to share her last name, discussed the shooting with members of the media.

— Louis Krauss

2 p.m. - Victor Piñon, 40, attended the prayer service at the Cathedral of St. Paul Thursday because he teaches third-graders like those shot at Annunciation Church. Piñon hopes lawmakers pass gun control measures that could prevent such shootings from happening again.

“I just think about how my kids would suffer if they were in this situation,” Piñon said. “The kids that were murdered there yesterday were kind of the same ages that I’m teaching, so it was hard — it was so hard for me when I listened to the news yesterday.”

— Kyeland Jackson

“A 10-year-old boy had more courage hiding in the church pew, while his friend shielded him with his body, than I have seen from far too many lawmakers who are more beholden to a gun lobby than a child,” Ferrell-Zabala said.

— Sofia Barnett

1:41 p.m. - State Sen. Zaynab Mohamed said the targets of gun violence in Minnesota have become too many to count. “Two months ago, it was our friends Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman and their families and dozens of other legislators, including me. On Monday, there was seven people on the street in Minneapolis. Yesterday, it was kids in church. Who will it be tomorrow?”

— Sofia Barnett

1:35 p.m. - “I know that in America we value life. I know that in America we are loving neighbors,” Rep. Ilhan Omar said at a Minneapolis City Hall news conference. “But what I do not know is why, uniquely in America, we have the capacity to not change what we know we can.”

— Sofia Barnett

1:30 p.m. - Mayor Jacob Frey called for stricter gun control measures during a news conference.

“To the extent other levels of government are either unwilling or unable to keep cities safe, let us do it ourselves,” Frey said. “We are responsible for 435,000 residents that call Minneapolis home, and many more that come and go. I think we’d be happy to ban assault rifles here in Minneapolis.” Applause echoed throughout the rotunda.

— Sofia Barnett

1:26 p.m. - Late Thursday morning, a man outside the church was consoled by several people who told him, “I’m so sorry for your loss.” He declined to speak to a reporter. A priest sat with the man on bleachers outside the church’s shot-out windows, and escorted him through the memorial area.

1:14 p.m. - The shooting shocked Father Joseph Johnson, rector and pastor at the Cathedral of St. Paul who organized a prayer service at noon for the victims. More than 150 people attended the gathering, consoling each other and bowing their heads in prayer. Bells chimed and congregants sang, “All Ye Who Seek A Comfort Sure.” St. Paul police officers walked the halls.

“We have to work harder to protect our young, but also to foster in society that respect for one another even when you disagree about things,” said Johnson, 54. “We’ve come to an unraveling of society’s fabric where there are many people [who] have very, very different goals from one another, very different views of what society looks like, and I think we need to sit down for some heart-to-heart talks about that and learn to respect each other in those discussions.”

— Kyeland Jackson

1:11 p.m. - Dozens of volunteers with Moms Demand Action, a grassroots organization fighting gun violence, packed City Hall for a news conference Thursday afternoon. Some held hands with children, others held signs; many wore bright red shirts bearing the group’s name as they sat on the steps of the rotunda.

“Back to school, not back to fear,” one sign read. “Kids hide under desks as politicians hide under theirs,” read another.

— Sofia Barnett

1:03 p.m. - Astoria Safe, 10, was grazed on the forehead by a shot, and a bullet fragment lodged in the top of her head, which doctors deemed too dangerous to remove but said wouldn’t cause long-term problems.

Astoria talked about helping pull two other kids down next to her when the bullets started flying. “I had two buddies side by side, and I just pushed their heads down to make sure they were safe,” she said. “I thought it was fireworks, it was just crazy. And the smell was terrible.”

— Louis Krauss

12:50 p.m. - Students and their families continue to drop off flowers at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Thursday.

12:30 p.m. - City officials have increased to 18 the number of people who were wounded by gunfire Wednesday at Annunciation Church and School. As reported previously, two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed. The number of children wounded now stands at 15, with three adult worshipers also wounded. Police Chief Brian O’Hara has said all who were wounded will survive.

— Paul Walsh

12:15 p.m. - Natalie Davis said her family’s world “was turned upside down” when her 13-year-old nephew was shot at the church Wednesday. In a posting on an online fundraising campaign on behalf of Endre Gunter’s family, Davis wrote that the eighth-grader was shot twice while attending mass.

“It’s impossible to make sense of this act of violence against children, in a place that should have been a sanctuary of peace and safety,” Davis wrote. “In the face of unimaginable fear and pain, Endre showed strength and faith beyond his years.” Davis said that before Endre went into surgery, he asked the doctor, “‘Can you say a prayer with me?’”

11:57 a.m. - Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday deployed 20 state law enforcement officers to help patrol schools and places of worship in Minneapolis.

“No child in America should go to school apprehensive of danger, of losing a classmate, of gunshots during prayer,” Walz said in a statement. “We will work in close partnership with the City of Minneapolis to give residents every reassurance that their families and their children are safe.”

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is also helping MPD investigate the shooting.

— Nathaniel Minor

11:40 a.m. - More than 1,700 people have made appointments with Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) to donate blood since Wednesday morning as they looked for ways to help following the Annunciation Church shootings.

The St. Paul-based blood donor agency said in a statement that it is “overwhelmed” by the support. It normally schedules 260 appointments per day. At least 395 people were first-time donors.

Dr. Tom Wyatt, HCMC’s chair of emergency medicine, said the usage of donor blood was “pretty substantial” Wednesday in the treatment of gunshot wounds. The American Red Cross also supplies donor blood for Minnesota hospitals and is taking appointments at redcrossblood.org.

Read more about blood donation efforts here.

— Jeremy Olson

11:32 a.m. - One woman who declined to be identified described being inside the church as the shooting happened. She said she feels “grief and the helplessness for the families that lost their two children, and for all those wounded, and our dear friends.”

“We escaped fine. We didn’t get hurt. We were able to comfort the little children and help bandage their head, their arms or anything,” she said. She added that at first, she believed the gunfire was “a prank or fireworks.”

— Louis Krauss

11:12 a.m. - Nine victims of the Annunciation Church shooting remained at HCMC in Minneapolis on Thursday morning, including five children. One child remained in critical condition, and one adult and one child were in serious condition. One patient had already been discharged and HCMC officials hoped another one or two would go home today.

HCMC officials offered the updates Thursday morning in the same conference room that was used as a makeshift reunification center the day before, where family members arrived to learn the status of injured children. Dr. Jon Gayken, a trauma surgeon, said there were many moments when hospital and EMS workers at HCMC went to great lengths to comfort the injured and scared children, including a nurse manager who ordinarily wouldn’t be involved in trauma response:

“One of the children was very scared and alone because everybody was running about doing their jobs. And she went into the CT scanner with the patient, putting herself basically in harm’s way of radiation. She put a little lead [protective vest] on and stood there and held her hand and then held her hair while she went through the scanner, so she wouldn’t have to go through alone.”

— Jeremy Olson

Speaking on “Fox & Friends,” Kennedy sidestepped a question from co-host Brian Kilmeade about gender-affirming care in connection with suspect Robin Westman, instead focusing on antidepressants. There is no public indication that Westman was taking such medications.

“We can’t exclude those as a culprit,” Kennedy said. “We’re launching studies on the potential contribution of some of the SSRI drugs and other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence.”

Kennedy added, “This kind of violence is very recent.”

Sen. Tina Smith responded to Kennedy on social media.

“I dare you to go to Annunciation School and tell our grieving community, in effect, guns don’t kill kids, antidepressants do,” Smith said in a post on X responding to a clip of Kennedy on Fox & Friends. “Just shut up.”

10:40 a.m. - Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Thursday the practice of locking the doors when morning Mass began at Annunciation Church on Wednesday likely prevented further tragedy, forcing suspected shooter Robin Westman to fire from outside.

“Due to the procedures that the school had in place, that the church had in place, after the mass had begun, the doors to the church were locked,” he told NBC’s “Today."

“This coward had to fire from outside of the church through the church windows and into the church, and we believe him not being able to get into the church likely saved countless lives.”

O’Hara added that authorities have so far seen “nothing specific to point to as the motive for targeting this church in this particular incident.”

— Abby Simons

Greenman, whose district includes Annunciation Church and School, added that the two children who were killed “won’t have a future at all because adults have failed to prioritize their protection over guns.” She added: “ I think we have to expect more from Congress. I think we need to expect more at the state and local level. And in a democracy, it’s going to take all of us, not just the elected officials. People elect us and they should expect, demand, and work with us to ensure that we are keeping folks safe every day.”

— Paul Walsh

10:15 a.m. - Dan Beazley, of Northville, Mich., discusses his history of bringing a large wooden cross he constructed to the sites of tragedies, including school shootings and natural disasters.

— Louis Krauss

10:07 a.m. - Children’s Minnesota said in a statement Thursday morning: “As of this morning, three children remain in our Minneapolis hospital for care as a result of Wednesday’s tragic incident at Annunciation Church. Four patients were treated and discharged yesterday. We will not share more details to respect the privacy of our patients and families.”

9:18 a.m. - Seven of the tall stained glass windows on the east side of the church are covered up with plywood.

— Louis Krauss

8:42 a.m. - Bells ring out Thursday morning at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, a day after two students were killed and many others were wounded in a shooting.

— Liz Flores

8:30 a.m. - The community’s response to so much cruelty was kindness. Neighbors wrapped the trees around Annunciation in fluttering ribbons. Strangers stood vigil in Lynnhurst Park with candles in their hands and tears on their cheeks.

Read the full column here.

— Jennifer Brooks

8 a.m. - Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told NBC’s “Today” that authorities recovered hundreds of pieces of evidence after executing four search warrants related to the shooting. Police did not find any additional weapons during the searches, O’Hara said.

“There is some additional writings, I would say, that the FBI is helping us go through,” O’Hara said, adding that authorities would likely seek electronic search warrants to examine devices.

— David Taintor

“I am so tired of some of my colleagues who won’t stand up and vote for some stricter national gun standards,” Klobuchar said during an appearance on MSNBC’s show “Morning Joe.” “I have personally just about had it. You could imagine that could be your kid in that church, your kid in that school, and it’s by grace of God it wasn’t.”

Klobuchar praised church and school leaders as heroes who saved lives, and even older kids who helped save the lives of younger kids.

— Tim Harlow

7:25 a.m. - A family is sharing the story of his 12-year-old daughter being severely wounded by Wednesday’s gunfire at Annunciation Catholic Church and School.

Seventh-grader Sophia Forchas remains hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday night, according to an online fundraising campaign signed by Tom Forchas, her father, and a second supporter to help the family with medical and other expenses.

As it turned out, according to the posting, Sophia’s mother, Amy Forchas, is a pediatric critical care nurse who reported for work in response to the shooting “before knowing it was her children’s school that was attacked and that her daughter was critically injured.” The campaign did not reveal which hospital is caring for Sophia.

— Paul Walsh

7:10 a.m. - The horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church is prompting parents in Minnesota to have more conversations — tough, awkward and painful — about the time and place in which we live.

So, what do we say now to our kids, and how do we say it? Just as most Minnesota children and teens are returning to the classroom, here are some tips for how to connect with them in the wake of mass violence in our own community.

Read the tips on how to talk to children about the violence here.

7:05 a.m. - Minnesota officials are expected to hold a press briefing at 1 p.m. today at Minneapolis City Hall. The event is intended to call for increased gun control measures. According to the city, the following officials will attend:

— David Taintor

7:02 a.m. - One adult and five children remain in critical condition at HCMC in downtown Minneapolis, the hospital said. Additionally, one adult and three children are being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

— Tim Harlow

7 a.m. - During a vigil Wednesday evening at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said there would be interfaith services at the Cathedral of St. Paul on Thursday and at the Basilica of St. Mary.

7 a.m. - More is being revealed about suspected shooter Robin Westman. Westman attended Annunciation Catholic School and graduated from eighth grade in 2017. After that, Westman spent the next few years jumping from school to school.

While attending St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Westman wrote an ode to death in which Westman worried about meeting the end filled with “regrets that my name not be known for something more.”

Westman’s name was legally changed to Robin M. Westman in 2020, with court records showing Westman’s mother sought the change because her son “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”

But it’s unclear what gender Westman identified with recently.

Read more about Westman’s background.

6:30 a.m. - Local police have confirmed that Westman created YouTube videos that were posted Wednesday near the time of the shooting. In the videos, a person, whose face is not shown, seemed to outline plans for the shootings at Annunciation Church.

The videos, which include racist, antisemitic and anti-Christian phrases and symbols, repeatedly reference mass killers.

Read more about the videos.

— Walker Orenstein and Deena Winter

6:20 a.m. - According to police, Westman, who had no criminal record, legally purchased the rifle, pistol and shotgun used in Wednesday morning’s shooting.

— Deena Winter and Paul Walsh

6:00 a.m. - During a Target Center show Wednesday night, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda referenced the shooting by first mentioning how the group’s new album was “about picking up after a tragedy.”

“There was a tragedy in this city today,” he said. “We want to dedicate our set tonight to the loving, strong, resilient city of Minneapolis. We hope a positive night of music can bring the city together during a dark time.”

Read more about the concert.

— Chris Riemenschneider