Mourners have gathered near Annunciation school and church Thursday morning, while parents cope with grief, sadness, anger and significant trauma the day after a 23-year old opened fired through the windows of the church during Catholic Mass.
One adult and five children were still in critical condition at Hennepin Healthcare as of Thursday morning. The adult said to be in their 80s and was an Annunciation parishioner.
Dr. Jon Gayken is a trauma surgeon who shared a story about a nurse who was off duty but came to help.
"And one of the children were very scared and alone, because everybody was running about doing their jobs," Gayken explains. "And she went into the CT scanner with the patient, putting herself basically in harm's way of radiation, which normally we evacuate the room. She put a little lead on and stayed there and held her hand. And held her hair while she went through the scanner so she didn't have to go through it alone. Those are the types of things we witnessed yesterday."
Hennepin County Medical Centers Chief Martin Scheerer says the six patients are in satisfactory condition, and two are in serious condition, with one more in critical condition. He also says some of the emergency team actually have children who attend Annunciation where the mass shooting took place Wednesday.
"You can train for this all you want, but it ultimately - it's still really challenging," says Scheerer. "Little, little kids. Yeah, it's hard."
As of this morning, three children remain in Children's Hospital as well. They have said four patients were treated and discharged Wednesday, but will not share more details to respect the privacy of patients and families.
Thursday morning, there was a gathering of grief outside Annunciation Catholic School, where several memorials have popped up along West 54th Street.
One features two crosses to remember the two children killed in the shooting. That's where one woman journeyed from north Minneapolis to bring two bouquets of flowers in their honor.
"I just drove up the block and see that I can come right here in front of the church and just kind of feel the moment, be in in the moment," she says. "You know, and just show my love for the family, for the community, for the State of Minnesota."
As officials continue to investigate the motive behind the shooting, the community in south Minneapolis is leaning on one another for support.