Gunman kills two children and injures 17 during Mass in US before taking own life

A gunman, identified by police as 23-year-old Robin Westman, opened fire during Mass at a Catholic school in Minneapolis yesterday, killing two children and injuring 17 others as they prayed during a service to mark the start of a new school year.

- ISABEL KEANE

Police said the shooter - who was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol - approached the side of the church and shot through the windows toward the children sitting in the pews before taking his own life.

In an emotional statement, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey rejected offers of “thoughts and prayers”.

“Children are dead, there are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity, tragedy or absolute pain of the situation,” he said during a press conference yesterday, not long after a gunman opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School.

“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now, these kids were literally praying,” he added. “It was the first week of school, they were in a church.”

The shooting unfolded just before 8.30am as students and others attended a mass to mark the first week of class at the private school that teaches nearly 400 students from prekindergarten through eighth grade.