Disturbing 911 transcripts have exposed the chaos inside a Minneapolis church as gunfire erupted during a morning service, resulting in the deaths of two children and injuries to 18 others, most of whom were students.
As gunshots echoed inside Annunciation Catholic Church on August 27, frantic voices of teachers, parents, clergy, and children could be heard contacting emergency services.
The call paints a harrowing picture of chaos, courage, and heartbreak.
‘Dear God, dear God in heaven, there’s some guns in Annunciation Church, on 54th,’ whispered Karen McCann, a parishioner hiding in the sanctuary.
‘We’re all crouched down under the – it just happened. We’re crouched under the pews… it’s a whole bunch of people here. He might be coming in the church again.’
The dispatcher calmly replied: ‘We have so many responders on the way to you.’
Inside the church, nearly 200 students, some as young as five, were gathered for morning prayers when the gunman opened fire.
Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed. Fifteen of the wounded were children.
Minneapolis shooter Robin Westman (pictured in a 2021 high school graduation photograph) later took his own life at the scene of the shooting
As gunshots rang out inside Annunciation Catholic Church, depicted, on August 27, the frantic voices of teachers, parents, clergy, and children reached out to emergency services
Two children died and 18 churchgoers were injured in the disturbing attack in August
The shooter, identified as Robin Westman, later took his own life at the scene.
The first 911 calls came in at 8:27am, as bystanders outside the church witnessed the horror unfold. The transcripts were seen by Fox News.
A distressed parent driving by reported to dispatchers, ‘There’s gunshots – there’s like gunshots all over… Must have been 20, all together in a bunch of different bursts.’
Another caller, Jillian Mai, described a person ‘in head-to-toe camo gear’ with ‘black goggles’ standing near the church.
Caitlin Nolan, residing nearby, called in. ‘He was shooting at the church… He seemed to be wearing all black and had a black, gigantic [gun]. [It] had to be automatic.’
Inside the church, staff scrambled to shield students from the hail of bullets. Teachers led students into the basement, barricading doors and hushing cries.
‘We were downstairs having crackers and all of a sudden we heard gunshots… there’s a whole bunch of kids started coming in ’cause they’re running from everywhere,’ one teacher, Diane, told dispatchers.
‘We’re in the church basement, locked in the classroom right now.’ Fourth-grade teacher Becca Hare tried to keep students calm and coordinate help.
An image made from surveillance footage provided by Kory Krause shows Westman inside the Frontiersman Sports gun shop in St. Louis Park, Minneapolis
The victims were eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel, left, and 10-year-old Harper Moyski
Community members gather at the scene of the mass shooting where two children were killed
‘I don’t know how many people are here, but there are people hurt. Stay down, stay down, okay… I’m going to go help, I’m going to go help.’
Later, as police moved in Hare told students: ‘If you’re injured and you can walk, could you walk? Injured are going, we are evacuating… We are going to the school, we are going to the school. It’s okay, I promise.’
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter approached the church, firing over 100 rounds from outside through the windows toward the children. Westman, dressed in tactical gear and black combat boots, then entered the building.
Timothy Barnes, another motorist driving by, told authorities that two bullets struck his vehicle.
‘I saw a guy start shooting and my car got hit by bullets,’ Barnes said. ‘He was standing between the school and the church in a green space, in all-black gear with an assault rifle.’
Westman, 23, was a former student of Annunciation Catholic School.
The shooter had no criminal record, but in the weeks leading up to the attack, released disturbing videos on YouTube, one of them displaying guns and ammunition, some marked with the phrases ‘Kill Donald Trump’ and ‘Where is your God?’
Another showed a hand stabbing a sketch of the church with a large knife.
Westman’s twisted manifesto (pictured) was unearthed in the aftermath of the deadly shooting, offering some clues into what went through the killer’s mind
Westman shared a manifesto (pictured) during a video posted on a since-deleted YouTube account, including an apparent layout of the church
Federal investigators described Westman as ‘obsessed’ with mass shootings and said they ‘hated almost every group – except mass murderers and shooters.’
Though Westman’s motive remains officially unclear, officials confirmed the attack was not classified as a hate crime, according to the Minneapolis police offense report.
Acting US Attorney Joe Thompson called it an act of ‘pure evil,’ noting the shooter had a disturbing fixation with the idea of killing children.
Fletcher, 8, and Harper, 10, were killed while sitting inside the church during Mass.
‘Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life,’ said Fletcher’s father, Jesse Merkel, in an emotional statement outside the church days after the shooting.
He described his son as a boy who loved fishing, cooking, and sports, and who cherished his family and friends.
911 audio revealed the moment first responders urged their colleagues to ‘bring all the gauze you have’ as they raced to the shooting at the church
Emergency responders warned there were at least ‘two DOAs inside the church’ – meaning two would be ‘dead on arrival’ – after the shooting at the school
Students and parents are seen waiting for new during the mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
A mom and her daughter hug at Annunciation Catholic Church
Harper’s parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, released a statement remembering their daughter as a ‘bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her.’
‘No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain,’ they wrote. ‘We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.’
The school’s principal, Matt DeBoer, confirmed that older children protected younger ones, and teachers shielded students with their bodies, even as bullets shattered stained-glass windows.
‘Our teachers are heroes,’ he said. ‘They didn’t run. They stayed.’
Three adults, all parishioners in their 80s, were also injured in the attack.
