A shooting took place on Wednesday morning at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the first week of the new academic term. Authorities have not yet confirmed the number of injuries, but Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described the incident as “horrific.”
Three people were dead and 20 were injured, a US Justice Department official said. The shooter was among those killed, the official told Reuters.
Children were at a morning mass when the shooting began, per local media.
In a statement on social media, Walz said he had been briefed on the situation. “I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene.
I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) August 27, 2025
The Minneapolis city government later confirmed that the shooter had been “contained” and that there was “no active threat” to the wider community.
According to the media reports, Police, FBI agents, federal officers, and emergency medical personnel converged on the school shortly after the incident. A staff member answering calls at the school confirmed that students were being evacuated as a safety measure.
Hennepin Healthcare, which operates Minnesota’s largest emergency department, said in a statement that it was managing an emergency but did not offer further details. A post on the hospital’s social media indicated it was currently treating patients linked to the school shooting, as per the reports.
President Donald Trump also responded to the incident in a Truth Social post, stating he had been “briefed on the tragic shooting” and that the White House was continuing to monitor developments.
Annunciation Catholic School, which has served the Minneapolis community since 1923, caters to students from pre-kindergarten through Year 8. According to its website, the school had scheduled an all-school Mass at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Monday marked the first day of the school year, with social media posts showing students in green uniforms reuniting, chatting at bike racks, and posing for photos.
Speaking at a Democratic officials’ meeting in another part of the city, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin acknowledged the shooting and said there was an “unknown amount of victims.”
This shooting follows a spate of gun violence in Minneapolis within the past 24 hours. On Tuesday afternoon, a shooting outside a local high school left one person dead and six others injured. Later the same night, two more individuals were killed in separate incidents across the city.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School.