Gunman Stood Outside Church, Shot at Kids Through Windows

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara has provided additional details about the deadly shooting at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday morning, specifying that the two children who were killed were ages 8 and 10 and were sitting in a pew when they were struck. Another 17 people were injured, all but three of them children. More:

• O'Hara described what transpired: "During the Mass, the gunman approached on the outside, on the side of the building, and began firing a rifle through the church windows towards the children sitting in the pews at the Mass. Shooting through the windows, [the gunman] struck children and worshipers that were inside the building."

• The shooter, who had a rifle, shotgun, and pistol on their person, shot themself, O'Hara said, per the Star-Tribune.
• Law enforcement sources tell KARE 11 that the shooter was 23-year-old Robin Westman, formerly known as Robert Westman. The sources say Westman's mother is a former school employee.
• NBC News reports that the chief disputed initial reports that an improvised explosive device had been found at the school, saying what was detected was a smoke bomb that wasn't explosive in nature but more like "a sort of firework."
• The Star-Tribune reports the school year had started on Monday, and Wednesday marked the first children's Mass of the year, with Mass occurring weekly at 8:15am on Wednesdays. The shooting took place just before 8:30am.
• Fox 9 has this: "Neighbors reported hearing significant gunfire, so much that they didn't think it was actually gunfire."
• Bill Bienemann echoes that to KARE 11, saying he heard 30 to 50 shots. "I was shocked, I said there's no way that could be gunfire, there was so much of it. So it was sporadic, so it was a semi-automatic, it seemed like a rifle, certainly didn't sound like a handgun, and so he must have reloaded, you know, several times."

This story has been updated with the shooter's reported identity.