At least two children were killed and 17 others injured when a gunman opened fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis — shooting through the windows of a church at the school before taking his own life, according to authorities. “With two victim fatalities and many more injured, this is, of course, a tragic day in Minneapolis,” says James Alan Fox, a Northeastern University criminologist and worldwide expert on mass shootings. “Notwithstanding this awful development, mass shootings are down substantially this year over last and last year over 2023,” he adds.
The shooting took place during the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School, which teaches students from preschool through eighth grade in southern Minneapolis. Police said the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials believe he was in his early 20s, had a limited criminal record and acted alone. Parental concern about children’s safety at school has reached a two-decade high, with 44% expressing concern following the Uvalde, Texas, tragedy on May 24, 2022, according to a recent Gallup poll.
In Uvalde, 19 children and two adults were killed when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire on whole classrooms in a Texas elementary school.
