2 children killed, 17 injured in Minneapolis Catholic school shooting

Minnesota [US], August 28 (ANI): A shooter fired through the windows of a church in Minnesota this morning, killing two children. 14 other children and three elderly parishioners were injured while marking the first week of class at Annunciation Catholic School, CNN reported.

The FBI identified the shooter, who is dead, as 23-year-old Robin Westman. The suspect graduated from the school in 2017, according to a yearbook, as quoted by CNN.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said Westman released a "manifesto" on YouTube that "included some disturbing writings." The shooter took their own life behind the church and had no prior criminal history, police said. Police believe Westman acted alone in the attack.

They have since been taken down and investigators are reviewing the content to "try and develop motive." FBI chief Kash Patel said the agency was investigating the attack as "an act of domestic terrorism and hate crimes targeting Catholics," as per CNN.

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US First Lady Melania Trump highlighted the need to identify potential school shooters. She said that early warning signs "are often evident, with many individuals exhibiting concerning behaviors and making violent threats online prior to their actions."

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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara told CNN that the remaining victims are expected to survive and that some of the children have been released.

"They had a range of injuries. One, I believe, was like a graze wound from a gunshot," O'Hara said. "All the way to some very, very serious and life-threatening injuries that thankfully they are expected to survive from."

Three firearms recovered from the crime scene had been legally purchased by the shooter, who had recently been issued a permit to purchase firearms, O'Hara told CNN.

"I don't have information about where specifically those weapons were purchased, but they were purchased lawfully," O'Hara said.

In Minnesota, a permit is needed to purchase firearms and also to carry the firearms in public. The state doesn't differentiate between open and concealed carry, as per CNN. (ANI)

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