Two children, ages 8 and 10, are dead and 17 other people are hurt after a shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a midmorning news conference Aug. 27.
Officers responded to the church just before 8:30 a.m. on a report of a shooting at a Mass at the church, O’Hara said. The school Mass was to acknowledge the first week of classes back in session.
According to O’Hara, the suspected shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. The suspected shooter approached the church from the exterior and shot through the windows, O’Hara said.
Upon arrival, officers and first responders immediately rendered aid to the students who were hurt. Those hurt were rushed to area hospitals. Others were brought out of the church to safety. Among the 17 hurt were 14 children, O’Hara said.
Officials at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis said 10 victims were at the hospital. One adult and six children were in critical condition; one adult and two children were being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The shooting was a “deliberate act of violence against innocent children and those worshipping,” O’Hara said. “Our hearts are broken for everyone affected by this tragedy,” O’Hara said.
O’Hara said the suspected shooter, a man in his 20s, is dead.
“There are no words that can capture the horror of this unspeakable act,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said during the news conference. “Children are dead … those families are suffering immense pain right now.”
O’Hara said the investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement agencies at the scene included police; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives; the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Minnesota State Patrol.
Minneapolis police reported there was no threat to the public and asked the public to continue avoiding the area cordoned off.
Continue to avoid the area of W. 54th Street between Lyndale and Nicollet avenues as this is still an active scene and for the privacy of the victims’ families. There is no safety threat to the public.
— Minneapolis Police (@MinneapolisPD) August 27, 2025
Gov. Tim Walz and Frey both posted to social media earlier that were briefed on the shooting.
I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene.
I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) August 27, 2025
I’m monitoring reports of horrific violence in South Minneapolis. I’m in touch with Chief O’Hara and our emergency response team has been activated. We will share more information as soon as we can. Please give our officers the space they need to respond to the situation.
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) August 27, 2025
Created by Archbishop Austin Dowling in 1922, Annunciation’s first parish Mass was offered on Oct. 1, 1922. On Sept. 10, 1923, four Dominican Sisters opened Annunciation School.
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