As the families of the two Catholic school students fatally shot while celebrating Mass at a Minneapolis church continue to wrestle with their grief, the father of the 8-year-old boy killed tearfully urged the community to remember his son for his love of family, fishing and cooking.
We now have the names of the two children killed this week at the Annunciation Church shooting in south Minneapolis. The shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, fired 116 rifle rounds through the church's stained-glass windows.
Both families made an announcement Thursday, barely 24 hours after 10-year old Harper Lillian Moyski and 8-year old Fletcher Alexander Merkel were both gunned down inside the church, a shooting that left another 18 injured.
Merkel's grieving father reading a message of hope to the media Thursday afternoon.
"Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life," Jesse Merkel said. "Give your kids an extra hug and kiss today. We love you, Fletcher. You'll always be with us."
In a written statement, Moyski's parents say their "hearts are broken" for themselves, but also for Harper's sister. They said they want to see their daughter's memory bring about changes when it comes to gun violence and mental health issues.
"As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain. Change is possible, and it is necessary — so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies,” Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin said in a statement.
Both families have asked for privacy.
Fifteen children between the ages of 6 and 15 were injured in the shooting, along with three parishioners in their 80s, according to city officials. Only one person — a child — was still in critical condition.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Westman was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and died by suicide.