CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Governor Maura Healey has ordered all U.S. and Massachusetts flags to be lowered to half-staff through Sunday.

The order was issued on Wednesday to mark solemn respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Officials say 23-year-old Robin Westman fired dozens of shots through the stained glass windows of a church at the Catholic school, killing two students and wounding 17 others inside during a back-to-school mass.

Bishop Byrne of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield issued a statement following the shooting:

“Today we are confronted by tragedy with the loss of yet more innocent lives, the result of unimaginable violence against our most vulnerable – our children. Let me express, on behalf of the entire Catholic community in

See Full Page