2 children killed, 14 injured in shooting at Annunciation Church's school in Minneapolis, cops share update on suspect

As many as two children were killed and 14 people were injured in a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, a major city in the US state of Minnesota, news agency Reuters reported citing a Justice Department official. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the attack happened at Annunciation Catholic School and termed it an "horrific act of violence"

Locals are being warned to "stay away from the area to allow emergency personnel to help victims", an official City of Minneapolis posted on X. The area affected is W 54th Street between Lyndale and Nicollet Avenue.

The sources described the shooter as a man dressed in all black and carrying a rifle. No other weapon has been mentioned at this stage - but the search is still under way.


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Minneapolis govt shares update

The Minneapolis city government said the shooter had been “contained” after the gunfire at the Annunciation Church's school, and there was no “active threat” to residents. Calling the gunfire "horrific", Walz said on social media that he had been briefed on the shooting.

“I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence,” Walz wrote on X.

Several ambulances are at 53rd Avenue and Bryant Avenue South and the FBI, state patrol and Minneapolis police are also at the scene. Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X. A spokesperson for Hennepin Healthcare, a level 1 trauma canter, told CNN, “We are dealing with an emergency situation at this time.”

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A person answering the phone at Annunciation School said students were being evacuated. Local and state police, federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents and other authorities were converged on the school.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he is “monitoring reports of horrific violence in South Minneapolis” and the “emergency response team has been activated.”

Trump on Minneapolis shooting

US President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on a shooting at a school in the city of Minneapolis on Wednesday, describing it as a "terrible situation." "I have been fully briefed on the tragic shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

"The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!"

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Dating to 1923, the pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school had an all-school Mass scheduled at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to its website. Monday was the first day of school, and social media photos from that day show students in green uniforms greeting each other at bicycle racks, smiling for the camera and sitting together.

The gunfire was the latest in a series of fatal shootings in the city in less than 24 hours. One person was killed and six others were hurt in a shooting Tuesday afternoon outside a high school in Minneapolis. Hours later, two people died in two other shootings in the city.

(With agency inputs)