A deadly mass shooting in south Minneapolis at Annunciation Church near 54th Street and Bryant Ave. has killed two kids and injured many others in a shocking, brutal attack during a Catholic mass Wednesday.
There are several ambulances from as far away as North Memorial after what is now confirmed to be a mass casualty incident.
The shooter is dead, and MPD reports he took his own life. Police do have the shooter's vehicle in their possession as they begin to investigate the motive.
Two children, aged 8 and 10, are dead. There are 17 injured, including 14 children according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara.
"We believe it is one shooter. He's in his early 20s," O'Hara says of the shooter who they say shot himself in the parking lot. "He does not have a known criminal history and we're looking through information left behind to determine some kind of motive."
O'Hara called the shooter a coward. "The sheer cruelty and cowardice is incomprehensible," he added.
"These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey at a Wednesday morning press briefing.
O'Hara also says the shooter barricaded two doors with 2x4 boards. He says the man fired from the outside into the church and it does not appear any shots were fired from inside the church.
Victims have been transported to Hennepin County Medical Center with an update from that facility noting no other fatalities have been reported from the patients transported there.
"Seven were brought in as critical patients, four required the operating room," said Dr. Thomas Wyatt at HCMC who provided a brief update, adding the wounds came from a "high velocity weapon."
11 patients were brought in: two adults and nine children ages 6 to 14. Seven of those brought in were in critical condition with four undergoing surgery. At this time there are no other fatalities and no one has been discharged.
"There is an active police situation at Annunciation Church, 509 W. 54th St," according to city officials. "There is no active threat to the community at this time. The shooter is contained. Stay away from the area to allow emergency personnel to help victims – W. 54th Street between Lyndale and Nicollet Ave."
The city also said the families of children at the school can go to the reunification zone at the Annunciation School at this time.
WCCO's Susie Jones also reporting from the neighborhood and spoke to the parents of students who were leaving the scene.
"I'm on Minnehaha Parkway where I see a woman and her husband and three children walking away from the school," reports Jones. "I stopped to talk to her. Her children were at the school at the time. She didn't want to talk to me on the radio, but she did say that her children are OK, but others are not. She looked visibly shaken, as did the children that were with her two boys. They are undoubtedly on their way home away from this horrible situation in South Minneapolis."
WCCO spoke to the manager of a Starbucks at the corner of 54th and Lyndale confirming a huge police presence. The manager said the store is closed and her managers told them to get into the basement.
She also confirmed that she saw several what she believed to be parents nearby because this is not only a church, but also a school for K-8 grade school.
"I'm monitoring reports of horrific violence in South Minneapolis," Mayor Jacob Frey announced on social media. "I'm in touch with Chief (Brian) 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."
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the violence “horrific” and he has spoken to President Donald Trump about the tragedy according to White House Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt.
"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," the governor says. "I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence."
"I have been fully briefed on the tragic shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota," the president posted to social media. "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!"
"While the facts of this tragic situation are still unfolding, we know the victims are children at a house of worship. Think about it: children at a house of worship, in Minneapolis," said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. "I ask all Minnesotans to join me in sending our deepest condolences to all the families involved. We must also all denounce this horrific act of gun violence. There just are too many shootings like it, with Minnesota children being the latest victims. We cannot continue as a society to treat these mass shootings like they’re isolated events. Instead, we must all rededicate ourselves to building a national resolve to end them once and for all."
The church has mass every Wednesday morning, including the students, at 8:00 a.m.