Two children killed in a shooting in Minneapolis: the gunman has been identified

A gunman opened fire Wednesday in a Minneapolis church adjoining a Catholic school in the northern United States, killing two children and wounding 14 others among the students gathered for mass.

The shooter, in his twenties, was carrying three guns and committed suicide at the scene of the attack, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara told a news conference. He opened fire on dozens of schoolchildren attending a mass to celebrate the start of the new school year.

“Two young children, aged 8 and 10, were killed as they sat in the pews of the church,” added Brian O'Hara, adding that 17 people were injured, including 14 children. Two are in critical condition, he added. A doctor at Hennepin Healthcare said he had treated 11 patients, including two adults and nine children. Four of them underwent emergency surgery.

“I pray for our children and teachers, whose first week of school has been marred by this terrible act of violence,” Minnesota State Governor Tim Walz had written on X earlier in the day.

"This is an act of deliberate violence against innocent children and others who have come to pray. The cruelty and cowardice required to shoot into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible," added the police chief, adding that an investigation was underway.

“Our hearts break for the families who have lost their children, for these young lives struggling to survive and for the residents who are traumatized by this senseless attack,” he added.

With more firearms in circulation than inhabitants, the United States has the highest death rate from firearms of any developed country. Killings are a recurring scourge that successive governments have so far failed to curb, as many Americans remain very attached to their guns.

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had been “fully informed” of the “tragic” attack. “The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation,” he added on his Truth Social network.