Flags lowered

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Thursday the 28th of August.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Today, a community grieves after gunfire interrupts Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. Dozens of students from the church’s school joined worshipers at the regular Wednesday Mass on the first day of school.

WORLD’s Christina Grube has more.

CHRISTINA GRUBE: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter launched the attack outside Annunciation Catholic Church just before 8:30 a.m…. shooting through the church’s windows.

O’HARA: Two young children, ages eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews. Their parents have been notified. 17 other people were injured, 14 of them being children.

O’Hara said dozens of preschool, elementary, and middle school-aged students were attending the mass…marking the first week of class. Students like fifth grader Clarissa Garcia.

GARCIA: So I was at church, and I heard something really loud. I thought it was fireworks in the church, and then I saw the shooting, and I was like 'Oh my gosh, I'm so scared.' And so a teacher led me downstairs to the preschool classroom, and so I went there. And me and my friend were just praying and praying.

Police chief O’Hara said the shooter barricaded one of the exits…and fired dozens of rounds into the building with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol.

O’HARA: The coward who fired these shots ultimately took his own life in the rear of the church…Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their children, for these young lives that are now fighting to recover, and for our entire community that has been so deeply traumatized by this senseless attack.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey underscored the sorrow and gut-wrenching loss for the community:

FREY: There are no words that can capture the horror and the evil of this unspeakable act. Children are dead…You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragedy, or the absolute pain of this situation….Do not think of these as just somebody else's kids…Think of this as if it were your own…

Emily Feste lives near the school, where her niece and nephew are students.

FESTE: My husband's a firefighter and he got a phone call this morning that there was an incident at Annuciation…So he, we live nearby so he just took off on foot. Thankfully, we heard about 15 minutes ago that they're safe, but it's so awful and it's so scary…I just pray for the community.

Bill Bienemann also lives about two blocks from the school…and described hearing the shots.

BEINENMANN: I know what gunfire sounds like and I could tell, I was shocked. I said 'There's no way that that could be gunfire,' there was so much of it. So it was sporadic, so it was a semi-automatic; it seemed like a rifle. It certainly didn't sound like a handgun and so he must have reloaded several times for sure.

Chief O’Hara described the shooter as a male in his early 20s. Officials are still investigating the shooter's motive and any ties he had to the church or school.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is being investigated as a domestic terror attack, and a hate crime against Catholics…adding that the shooter has been identified as a male that identified as a woman.

President Donald Trump ordered all American flags to fly at half-staff through the end of the month out of respect for the tragedy.

For WORLD, I’m Christina Grube.

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