Minnesota Senator Tina Smith Award shooting
Sen. Tina Smith urged people to gather after the pointless act of violence that killed two children and 17 others on Wednesday at a Minneapolis Catholic school.
Fox 9
- Saturday’s Announcement Church held its first mass since the shooting.
- Authorities have looked into a series of evidence to uncover potential motives for the tragedy.
The first American-born Pope Leo prayed Sunday for the victims of a deadly shooting rampage at Minneapolis Church, calling for the end of the “world-infecting arm pandemic…”
Leo spoke to the crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, and switched from Italy to English when discussing the shooting at the Announcement Church on August 27th.
“We will include in prayer the countless children killed and wounded every day around the world,” the Pope said. “Let’s plead with God to stop the big and small arm pandemic that infects our world.”
8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moysky have been killed, with 15 children and three adults injured in the sole gunman attack in the masses celebrating the beginning of the school year. Robin Westman, 23, died of a self-harmed gunshot wound, leaving behind a document expressing hatred towards multiple groups, “he’s obsessed with the idea of killing a child,” authorities said.
The Pope prayed that the Virgin Mary would help mankind fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy.
Minneapolis held its first mass since filming on Saturday. More people were scheduled for Sunday, with all the masses taking place in the auditorium of the Announcement Catholic School next to the church.
Authorities have looked into a series of evidence to uncover potential motives for the tragedy. Investigators looked into the writings and online posts, searched for local homes linked to shooters, and conducted interviews. It shows newly acquired court records by St. Cloud Times, part of the USATODATY network.
In the records, investigators described a bloody scene inside the Announcement Catholic Church. Over 100 bullet casings were found. An AR-15-style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9mm pistol all had additional ammunition in the suspect’s body. Authorities also reviewed Westman’s hateful writings.
“The shooters seemed to hate us all,” said Joseph Thompson, acting Minnesota-area lawyer. He described the book as “terrifying” and “vile,” and stated that Westman “sees attacks as a way to target our most vulnerable targets.”
– – Johnny Sanchuchi
