On Wednesday morning a gunman opened fire through the windows of Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, where students from the parish school were gathered for their first Mass of the year. Two children, just 8 and 10 years old, were killed. Seventeen others, including 14 children and three elderly parishioners, were injured.
Rep. Ilhan Omar described herself as “beyond heartbroken” and “utterly shattered” by the killings. “As a mom and Minneapolis resident, my heart is utterly shattered. I am especially thinking of the two beautiful children who lost their lives in this senseless act of violence.”
Omar continued, “We cannot continue to fail our kids with the lack of federal action. It is beyond despicable that elected leaders are more concerned with appeasing the gun lobby than keeping our children safe.”
Police identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a former student at the school. Authorities say Westman posted a manifesto and disturbing videos online in the days before the shooting. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara called the act “sheer cruelty and cowardice.”
For Omar, the cruelty was compounded by where it happened: inside a church, where children were literally praying. “The horror that children and educators went through today, while they were praying, should not have happened,” she said. “I am committed to do everything I can to stop these tragedies from occurring ever again.”
The shooting comes amid a troubling surge of gun violence in Minneapolis. In the 24 hours before Westman opened fire, three other people were killed in separate shootings across the city. Nationwide, the problem is relentless: CNN recently reported that there have already been 33 school shootings in the U.S. this year alone.
At Annunciation, parents and parishioners are left reeling. Bill Bienemann, who lives nearby, said he heard what sounded like dozens of shots. His daughter, an alumna of the school, said she broke down in tears when she learned the news.
Omar promised her constituents that she won’t let Washington look away. “Today our country failed our kids,” she said. “And I will not allow elected leaders to move on or forget this horror.”
