TWO CHILDREN KILLED, 17 OTHERS WOUNDED IN MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOL SHOOTING. (PHOTO).

Two children killed, 17 others wounded in Minneapolis school shooting

Two children were killed and 17 others injured — 14 of them children — in a shooting Wednesday morning at a Minneapolis Catholic school.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the incident occurred just before 8:30 a.m. local time during a Mass at Annunciation Catholic School, in the first week of classes. Authorities said a shooter standing outside fired through church windows at worshippers.

“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” O’Hara said. “The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.”

The two children who died, aged 8 and 10, were killed while sitting in the pews. Two of the injured victims are in critical condition.

O’Hara said the shooter, believed to be in his early 20s, was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, all of which were fired during the attack. The gunman was later found dead from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Gov. Tim Walz posted on X that he was “praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.”

Children’s Minnesota Hospital confirmed six children had been admitted for treatment following the shooting. The hospital said its teams are trained for crisis situations and are fully prepared to care for affected children, but it declined to provide further details to protect patient privacy.

The Minneapolis Police Department stated mid-morning that the shooter was “contained” and that there was “no active threat to the community at this time.”