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Gunman took own life
Police chief Brian O’Hara says the gunman “ultimately took his own life”.
He adds, “our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their children”, for the young lives “fighting to recover” and for “the entire community that has been so deeply traumatised by this senseless attack”.
Children aged eight and 10 killed, Police Says
O’Hara goes on to say the gunman was carrying three weapons – a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.
He describes shooting into a church full of children as “sheer cruelty and cowardice”.
“Two young children, aged eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews,” O’Hara says. “Their parents have been notified.”
He adds that 17 other people were injured – 14 of them children.
Two of those children are in critical condition, he says
Attacker fires from Church windowa-Police
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara is speaking now and says the city has experienced an “unspeakable tragedy”.He says police responded to the scene just before 08:30 local time (13:30 BST) at Annunciation Church. He adds that it was a worship service for the children’s first week of school.”During the mass a gunman approached from the outside of the building,” he explains, saying the attacker began firing from the church windows. “He struck children and worshippers that were inside the building,” he says.
Resource centre set up to help affected families, mayor says
The mayor says he is “so deeply saddened” and sorry to all the families affected.He asks people to stand by them and love them, adding, “we need to do everything possible to support them through this time”.He also says a family resource centre has been set up to help the
It was the first week of school, they were in a church’ – mayor
“These were Minneapolis families. These were American families, and the amount of pain they are suffering right now is extraordinary,” Frey says.
Frey, a Democrat, makes a pointed reference to a typical political response to mass shootings.
“Don’t just say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now. These kids were literally praying,” Frey says. “It was the first week of school, they were in a church.”
The briefing has started.”There are no words that can capture the horror,” Mayor Jacob Frey says.
Credit: BBC
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