Within seconds of a person opening fire into a Minneapolis church where children were gathered for Mass, teachers acted as heroes, Annunciation Catholic School’s principal said Wednesday.
“Children were ducked down,” said Matt DeBoer. “Adults were protecting children. Older children were protecting younger children. … It could have been significantly worse without their heroic action.”
Still, “we lost two angels today,” he said of two students, ages 8 and 10, who were killed.
The suspect wounded an additional 17 people before dying by suicide in the back of the church, said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
A woman carries a child as members of law enforcement gather at the scene of a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (Liam D