SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- In the wake of a deadly shooting during Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Bishop Michael Pham of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego issued a heartfelt statement expressing grief, solidarity and a renewed commitment to school safety across the region.

"This morning’s shooting at Annunciation Church and school in Minneapolis is devasting news and affects us all. We ask for your prayers for the victims and their families, for the school community shattered by this tragic event and for the first responders who selflessly attended to the dead and injured at the scene," stated Bishop Pham.

Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed during the violence and another 17 people were injured, the Associated Press reported. The shooter, identified a

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