Fri Sep 05 20:40:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing the information:

**Hope and Prayers: Father of 12-Year-Old Shooting Victim Speaks Out**

MINNEAPOLIS (KSTP) – Tom Forchas, the father of 12-year-old Sophia Forchas, who was critically wounded in the Annunciation Church shooting last week, spoke publicly for the first time on Friday, offering both a message of hope and a call to action. Sophia remains in critical condition in the pediatric ICU at Hennepin Healthcare after being shot in the left temporal lobe, with the bullet still lodged in her right occipital lobe.

“To carry out such an atrocity against innocent children, children who were praying during mass, is unfathomable,” Forchas said. He expressed his family’s deep sorrow and gratitude for the support they’ve received, stating the past 10 days have been the “longest and hardest” of their lives. He also extended his condolences to the families of the two other victims, Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, who tragically lost their lives.

Dr. Walt Galicich, a neurosurgeon treating Sophia, provided a frank update on her condition, acknowledging that she is still in critical condition and could potentially become the third fatality. However, he also expressed cautious optimism. Despite a medically induced coma, a stroke, and the removal of a portion of her skull to relieve brain swelling, there have been glimmers of hope. Sophia has shown purposeful movement on her left side, slight movement in her right leg, and has been opening her eyes.

Forchas implored listeners to pray for Sophia, and to take action to create positive change. “And when you pray, move your feet. Moving your feet means one step at a time. It means volunteering your time. It means donating blood. It means listening to someone who’s hurting. It means asking yourself, ‘What would Jesus want me to do?’”

Dr. Galicich passionately called for change regarding gun violence, stating, “I hope someday we can get it through the politicians’ thick skulls how terrible it is to tell a 12-year-old’s parents that their child has been shot. I hope it can get through their skulls, that message, as well as some of these bullets do.”

A GoFundMe has been established to support the Forchas family.

*[Link to KSTP’s full coverage of the Annunciation Church shooting HERE]*

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