Two children were killed and 17 people were injured - 14 of them students - after a gunman opened fire during a morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday, authorities said.

Police identified the attacker as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who fired multiple weapons through the stained glass windows of Annunciation Church just before 8:30 a.m. local time, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. "This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping," O'Hara said. "The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible."

The two victims, ages 8 and 10, were killed while sitting in the pews. Several others remain in critical condition. Dr. Thomas Wyatt, chair of emergency medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center, said the Level 1 trauma center was treating 11 patients - nine of them children - with seven listed in critical condition. Children's Minnesota Hospital confirmed it had admitted six additional children. "Our teams are trained to respond in times of crisis, and are fully prepared to care for impacted children," the hospital said in a statement.

Police said Westman was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun. He was later found dead from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. "Children are dead. There are families that have a deceased child," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. "You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragedy or the absolute pain of this situation."

Authorities revealed Westman's mother, Mary Grace Westman, had been an employee of the school, though her exact position remains unclear. Local reports said the church acknowledged her five years of service in a 2021 post before her retirement. O'Hara noted Westman "was not previously known to law enforcement."

Investigators are reviewing disturbing YouTube videos believed to be linked to Westman. The clips show weapons, gun schematics, and handwritten notes. One video displayed magazines scrawled with the phrases "for the children" and "kill Donald Trump." Law enforcement sources told the New York Post the shooter also appeared fixated on past mass killers, including Sandy Hook gunman Adam Lanza.

Governor Tim Walz posted on X that he was "praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence." President Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had been fully briefed, adding: "The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!"