BREAKING: Minneapolis Police Chief Releases Information on Alleged School Shooter

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter who attacked a Catholic church where young students were attending mass on Wednesday morning was a male in his early 20s with no known criminal history during a press briefing. He did not share other details on the shooter’s identity.

O’Hara told reporters that two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed. Another 17 people were injured in the shooting, including 14 children, with two of them being in critical condition, he said.

“The coward who fired these shots ultimately took his own life in the rear of the church,” O’Hara said.

He continued: “Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their children, for these young lives who are fighting to recover, and for our entire community.” 

O’Hara explained that the shooter shot through the windows of Annunciation Roman Catholic church in Minneapolis, where students from the nearby Annunciation Catholic School were in attendance. The shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, the chief said.

” 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.”

Moments before O’Hara spoke to reporters, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) said he was rejecting “thoughts and prayers” following the attack. 

“These were Minneapolis families,” Frey said. “These were American families. And the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary. Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now! These kids were literally praying! It was the first week of school. They were in a Church! These are kids that should be learning with their friends. They should be playing on the playground. They should able to go to school or Church in peace without the fear or risk of violence.”

Watch above via CNN.