MINNEAPOLIS — A quiet moment of prayer turned into horror on Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on children inside Annunciation Church, leaving two young lives lost and 18 others wounded.
Authorities say the attacker, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, was “obsessed with the idea of killing children.” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the suspect harbored no clear motive but carried a chilling fixation. “More than anything, the shooter wanted to kill children,” he told reporters.
The victims were Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10 — both remembered by their families as joyful, kind, and full of promise.
“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away from us,” said his father, Jesse Merkel, struggling to hold back tears. “We will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, or watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was becoming.”
Harper’s parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, called their daughter “a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter and kindness touched everyone.” They said her younger sister “adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss.”
Witnesses described bloodied children fleeing the church, crying for help. Neighbor Patrick Scallen said one injured girl clutched his hand and begged him not to leave her side. “I said I wasn’t going anywhere.”
Officials confirmed that the attacker used three legally purchased firearms and fired dozens of rounds through school windows before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators also found a smoke bomb and hate-filled writings targeting multiple groups and political figures.
Federal authorities described the massacre as “an act of domestic terrorism fueled by hate.”
The tragedy has reignited calls for stricter gun laws in Minnesota. “There is no reason someone should be able to fire 30 shots before reloading,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “These are weapons designed to kill.”
For the families of Fletcher and Harper, however, change comes too late. “As a family, we are shattered,” Harper’s parents said. “No family should ever endure this pain. Change is possible, and it is necessary — so that Harper’s story does not become yet another tragedy.”
