(NewsNation) — A memorial outside Annunciation Catholic School grew Friday as the world learned the identities of the two children killed and new details about the shooter.
The shooting, which occurred during the school’s celebration of Mass, left 18 others injured, including 15 children. Officials said six children were still in the hospital Thursday, with two in serious or critical condition.
Hennepin County health officials are expected to give an update on the shooting at 12 p.m. CDT on Friday.
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A sign stands amid flowers at a memorial at Annunciation Catholic Church after Wednesday’s school shooting on Aug. 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) -
People pray at a memorial at Annunciation Catholic Church after a school shooting, on Aug. 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) -
People sit across a memorial near boarded windows damaged in Wednesday’s school shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church on Aug. 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) -
Written messages are left on hearts at a makeshift memorial at Annunciation Catholic Church after a school shooting, on Aug. 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Families remember children killed in Minneapolis shooting
Those killed included 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, their families confirmed Thursday.
“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our 8-year-old son Fletcher away from us,” father Jesse Merkel told local media. “I hope that in time, our family can find healing. I pray that the other victim’s family can find some semblance of the same.”
“Please remember Fletcher for the person he was, and not the act that ended his life,” he added.
Moyski’s family remembered her as a “bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old.”
“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss,” said Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin. “As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.”
Stories from the injured have also emerged. One 13-year-old, shot in the stomach, asked doctors to pray with him before heading into surgery.
Another 12-year-old student underwent emergency surgery. Her mother was a nurse at a local hospital — and she went into work not knowing her daughter was one of the victims.
Minneapolis shooter had ‘deranged fascination’ with school shootings
Authorities said the suspected shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, died on the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot.
While no motive has been determined for Westman’s actions, police said their investigation has shown the shooter “expressed hate towards almost every group imaginable.”
Westman had a “deranged fascination” with previous school shooters and was obsessed with hurting children, according to Minneapolis police Chief Brian O’Hara.
“The shooter saw the attack as a way to target our most vulnerable among us, while they were at their most vulnerable — at school, at church,” said Joseph Thompson, acting U.S. attorney general for Minnesota, on Thursday.
