• Two children killed and 17 injured in shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.
• The shooter, identified as Robin Westman, opened fire during a school Mass, targeting children.
• FBI investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism fueled by hate.
• Community mourns as survivors recount acts of heroism during the tragedy.
• Calls for stricter gun control laws are intensifying following the incident.

A horrific shooting occurred at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, resulting in the deaths of two children aged eight and ten, while injuring 17 others, including fourteen minors. The shooter, identified as Robin Westman, 23, fired 116 rounds through stained glass windows during a Mass attended by nearly 200 children, marking the start of the school year. The suspect reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the attack. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara emphasized that "the shooter had the intention to terrorize those innocent children," highlighting the sheer brutality of the incident, which has prompted investigations into the shooter's motives as a potential hate crime, according to ABC News and HuffPost.

Westman, who had previously attended the Annunciation school, was reported to have deep-seated grievances against various groups, as noted by acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who stated, “The shooter expressed hate towards almost every group imaginable.” Witnesses described chaos as students attempted to protect one another during the attack. A middle schooler reportedly took a shotgun blast to the back while shielding a younger child. The quick actions of students and staff likely prevented even greater casualties. "The teachers were getting shot at. They were protecting the kids," said Hennepin Emergency Medical Services Director Martin Scheerer, as detailed by India Times and Los Angeles Times.

In the wake of the shooting, community members gathered for vigils while officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have called for urgent action against gun violence. “This is about guns,” Frey stated, stressing the need for a ban on high-capacity semi-automatic rifles, a sentiment echoed by numerous gun control advocates. The mayor took issue with suggestions that gun violence is solely a mental health issue, instead highlighting the relationship between accessibility of firearms and such tragedies, as reported by NPR and South China Morning Post.

The FBI is exploring the attack as an act of domestic terrorism motivated by hate, with Westman's writings containing derogatory remarks targeting various communities, including anti-Catholic sentiment and explicit threats against public figures like President Trump. The national debate surrounding gun control and the causes of mass shootings has been reignited, illustrating the urgent need for dialogue on preventing such tragedies in the future, according to HuffPost and BBC.