TWO CHILDREN HAVE been killed and 17 people have been injured, including 14 children, in a shooting at a Catholic school mass in the major midwest US city of Minneapolis.
The shooting happened during a mass marking the first week of school at Annunciation Church, which sits alongside the primary school. Police said the gunman also died by suicide.
Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara said the “unthinkable tragedy” happened just before 8.30am (2.30pm Irish time), when the gunman began firing a rifle through the church windows during the mass. He was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.
O’Hara confirmed that two children aged 8 and 10 were killed. He said 17 people were injured, including 14 children. Two of those children are in a critical condition.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” he said.
“Our hearts are broken for everyone that has been affected by this tragedy.”
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said he was “deeply saddened” by the incident and asked the community to stand by the families who have lost their children.
“Children are dead. There are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragic or absolute pain of this situation,” Frey said.
These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school, they were in a church.
“They should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence.”
Earlier, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he had been briefed on the incident.
“I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence,” he said, without providing details on potential victims.
US President Donald Trump said he has also been fully briefed on the “tragic shooting”.
“The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation,” he said, adding that he was praying for everyone involved.
The incident is the latest in a series of shootings in the city in less than 24 hours.
One person was killed and six others were hurt in a shooting on Tuesday afternoon outside a high school in Minneapolis. Hours later, two people died in two other shootings in the city.
The school shooting also followed a spate of hoax calls about purported shootings on at least a dozen US college campuses.
The bogus warnings, sometimes featuring gunshot sounds in the background, prompted universities to issue texts to “run, hide, fight” and frightened students around the nation as the school year begins.
