Thu Aug 28 15:39:37 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and news article based on the provided text:
**Summary:**
On Wednesday, August 26, 2025, a heavily armed shooter, identified as Robin Westman, a 23-year-old transgender woman, opened fire at a church service at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The attack, which occurred during a Mass for young students on their first week back to school, resulted in the deaths of two children and injuries to 17 others. The shooter, who had legally purchased the weapons used, died by suicide at the scene. The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics. The shooting has sparked national outrage and debate about gun control, hate crimes, and the safety of transgender individuals.
**News Article:**
**Minneapolis Reels After Church Shooting Leaves Two Children Dead, 17 Injured**
**Minneapolis, August 28, 2025** – A horrific mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on Wednesday has left two young children dead and 17 others injured. The attack, which targeted a church service filled with students celebrating their first week back at school, is being investigated by the FBI as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.
According to police, the shooter, identified as Robin Westman, a 23-year-old transgender woman, opened fire with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol. Westman, who legally purchased the weapons, died by suicide in the church parking lot.
Two children, ages eight and ten, were killed in the pews. Fourteen other children and three elderly parishioners were injured. A 10-year-old survivor recounted how a friend shielded him during the attack, sustaining injuries in the process.
“We don’t have a motive at this time,” stated City Police Chief Brian O’Hara, however, videos posted online by the shooter showed a multi-page manifesto, and names and drawings of firearms.
The tragedy has ignited a wave of grief and condemnation across the nation. Vigils were held Wednesday evening, and President Trump has ordered flags at the White House to be lowered to half-staff. Pope Leo XIV expressed his profound sadness, while former President Obama decried the violence as “unspeakable and unnecessary.”
The shooting has also reignited the debate over gun control in the U.S., with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addressing the issue of gun ownership, while warning against using the attack to villainize the transgender community.
“Anybody who is using this… as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity,” Frey stated. “We’ve got more guns in this country than we have people… we can’t just say that this shouldn’t happen again and then allow it to happen again and again.”
This shooting marks the 287th mass shooting in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, adding to the growing calls for action to address gun violence. The investigation into the attack is ongoing.
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