Authorities say a shooter opened fire with a rifle through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church and struck children celebrating Mass during the first week of school.

Two children were killed and 17 other people are injured. The shooter killed himself.

Monday had been the first day of the school year at Annunciation, a 102-year-old school in a leafy residential and commercial neighborhood about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis.

Karin Cebulla, who said she had worked as a learning specialist at Annunciation and sent her two now-college-aged daughters there, described the school as an accepting, caring community.

“Everyone felt safe here, and I just pray that it continues to be a place where people feel safe,” she said.

Minnesota Congresswoman Rep. Ilhan Omar was seen speaking to local officials and expressed condolences to the victims.

"As a mom, it's really incredibly painful to know what these parents are going through. To have, you send your 8-year-old, 10-year old to school and within a few hours as they sit in for prayer to have them be gunned down is just unspeakable horror.

AP video by Mark VanCleave