GUNNED DOWN AS THEY PRAYED

AS RESIDENTS of Windom in Minneapolis mourn the loss of two young lives in yet another school shooting in the US, officials say the investigation will continue for weeks, if not months, as they try to piece together what led to the tragic event.

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The quiet neighbourhood has been left reeling after the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, which also houses a church, left two children - eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski - dead and 18 others injured.

The attacker, identified as local resident Robin Westman (23), opened fire with three firearms on the side of the building, unleashing dozens of rounds through the windows of the church where students had been attending an all-school Mass, an annual tradition for the new academic year, which began two days earlier.