Minneapolis mourns two children killed in shooting - here's what we know

Two children have been killed in a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis which has left more than a dozen people injured.

The attack happened on Wednesday morning at Annunciation Church where children were attending a worship service during their first week of school.

The shooter died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The FBI is investigating the incident as an "act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics."

Here's what we know about what happened.

Who is the suspected attacker, Robin Westman?

The attacker has been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, from suburban Minneapolis. The motive may never be known, officials say.

The attacker - described as being dressed in all black - approached the side of the church, which also houses a school, and fired dozens of shots through the windows using three firearms.

Officials are investigating whether the suspect shot inside the building or if all the shots came from outside the church, noting that no casings from bullets were found inside.

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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the attacker did not have an "extensive known criminal history", and acted alone.

Police did find a "manifesto" the suspect timed to publish on YouTube at the time of the shooting. The FBI assisted officials and took it down.

The police chief said the attacker had previously attended mass at the Catholic church and also went to the Annunciation Catholic School, confirming that "there is a connection between the attacker and this particular parish".

The attacker's mother, Mary Grace Westman, previously worked at the school, according to a school newsletter from 2016. A post on Facebook says she retired from the role in 2021.

On Thursday, officials said that she has not responded to law enforcement's attempts to contact her.

Westman's name was legally changed from Robert to Robin in 2020, Minnesota court records show. In the application the judge wrote: "Minor child identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification."

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey pushed back against hatred directed towards the transgender community in the wake of the attack.

In their own updates, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Westman was a "man, claiming to be transgender", and in his post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel referred to Westman as "a male".

A still image of Robin Westman, from the suspect's social media

What do the videos and notebooks tell us?

BBC Verify has reviewed two videos on the YouTube account associated with Westman, before the account was closed.

One of them featured notebooks which suggest extensive planning before the shooting.

One page, titled "Annunciation from memory" in Cyrillic, includes a rough sketch of the layout of a church, which Westman points to before stabbing the sketch with a knife.

One of the notes, also largely written in Cyrillic letters, starts by saying that "things are moving swiftly into place" and that Westman is "feeling good about Annunciation" because it is a "good combo of easy attack for me and devastating tragedy".

The suspect lists a series of options for the attack, including during breaktime at a school or a Christmas concert at a church.

These notes are dated to late July, indicating that Westman had been preparing for this attack for more than a month.

There are also a number of guns, bullets and magazines filmed in what appears to be a bedroom.

A racist and an antisemitic message, as well as a message calling for the killing of US President Donald Trump, are written on the ammunition and guns.

Minnesota's acting Attorney General Joseph Thompson spoke about Westman's writings, saying the attacker "appeared to hate all of us", but "more than anything, the shooter wanted to kill children".

Who are the victims?

From left: Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10,

Two children, aged eight and 10, were killed. Eighteen people were also injured, 14 of whom are children.

The children who died are Fletcher Merkel, eight, and Harper Moyski, 10.

The three adults who were injured were all parishioners in their 80s, O'Hara said.

Thomas Wyatt, chairman of emergency medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center, said seven children aged between six and 14 years old were brought to his department and were in critical condition, with four needing surgery.

Non-critical patients were taken to other hospitals.

All injured victims are expected to survive, officials said.

"Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life," his father Jesse Merkel said on Thursday, choking back tears.

"Give your kids an extra hug and kiss today. We love you, Fletcher. You'll always be with us."

The family of Harper Moyski said she "was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her".

"No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain," they said in a statement, calling for legislation to prevent gun attacks.

"Change is possible, and it is necessary - so that Harper's story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies."

A 10-year-old boy who survived the attack told CBS affiliate WCCO that his friend saved him from bullets by lying on top of him.

"I was like two seats away from the stained glass window," he said. "My friend, Victor, saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit."

"My friend got hit in the back, he went to the hospital... I was super scared for him but I think now he's okay," he said.

What is Annunciation School?

Annunciation Catholic Church and its faith-based school is for students from preschool (nursery-level) up to Grade 8 (aged 14 years old), according to its website.

It is located in a residential area of southern Minneapolis.

The Catholic school's approach to teaching is one of faith-based learning.

The school added that religion "compels" it to engage with its local community. It also has a sister school in Haiti.

Principal Matt DeBoer spoke at a press conference on Wednesday and began his remarks by saying "I love you, I'm so sorry this happened today".

He thanked well-wishers for their thoughts and prayers and asked people to "pray with our feet" to take action against future shootings.

Police Chief Brian O'Hara said that the church's policy of locking its doors after mass begins saved additional lives.

"What's particularly heinous and cowardly about this is these children were slaughtered by a gunman who could not see them," he told the media on Thursday.