Authorities say 23-year-old who attacked church was ‘obsessed’ with killing youngsters and ‘idolised’ US college shooters.
Revealed On 29 Aug 2025
A 23-year-old man who killed two younger college college students and wounded greater than a dozen after opening hearth on children sitting in a Catholic church within the US metropolis of Minneapolis was “stuffed with hatred” and “obsessed” with killing youngsters, authorities mentioned.
Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara mentioned on Thursday that the suspect had fired 116 bullets via stained-glass home windows whereas the youngsters celebrated Mass on Wednesday throughout the first week of courses on the Annunciation Catholic College.
“It is vitally clear that this shooter had the intention to terrorise these harmless youngsters,” O’Hara mentioned.
The police chief additionally requested that the information media cease reporting the shooter’s title as a result of the aim of this “heinous assault” was to realize “notoriety”. The assailant took their very own life in a carpark following the capturing.
The victims of the assault had been an eight-year-old boy and a lady, aged 10.
Performing US Lawyer Joe Thompson mentioned movies and writings the assailant left behind “expressed hate in the direction of virtually each group possible”, together with Mexicans, Christians and Jews.
However one group the attacker didn’t hate was “probably the most infamous college shooters and mass murderers in our nation’s historical past”, whom the suspect “idolised”, Thompson mentioned.
Specifically, “the shooter was obsessive about the thought of killing youngsters”, he mentioned.
The newest mass capturing within the US has as soon as once more renewed debate about gun security and restrictions within the US.
Lethal gun violence has grown extra frequent in faculties, church buildings and different settings as soon as thought-about secure within the US, regardless of efforts to beef up safety and establish potential perpetrators earlier than they’ll act.
The FBI has gathered proof demonstrating the church assault “was an act of home terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology”, director Kash Patel mentioned on X earlier on Thursday.
Relations described eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel as a boy who beloved his household, fishing, cooking and any sport he was allowed to play. The mother and father of the second sufferer, 10-year-old Harper Moyski, mentioned in an announcement that she was a brilliant and joyful youngster.
The variety of youngsters wounded within the assault was raised to fifteen on Thursday after one beforehand unknown sufferer got here ahead, police mentioned. Three individuals of their 80s had been additionally injured.
One youngster is in crucial situation, and an grownup is in critical situation, authorities mentioned.
Police mentioned the shooter, who had no legal document, had just lately bought all three weapons legally and had modified their title in 2020 and recognized as a transgender girl.
The shooter additionally beforehand attended the Catholic college linked to the church, and their mom had beforehand labored on the church.