Stories of bravery and heartache emerge from Minneapolis church shooting

MINNEAPOLIS — Moments after rifle blasts reverberated inside a Minneapolis church, Catholic school children wearing plaid jumpers and green polo shirts ducked into pews, some jumping atop friends to protect them from the carnage. One girl, Lydia Kaiser, was struck shielding her "little buddy" while her father, the school's gym teacher, helped usher children to safety and reunite them with their parents, according to a family friend organizing fundraising for the family. A 13-year-old boy named Endre, who was shot twice and rushed into surgery, asked the doctor "can you say a prayer with me?" his aunt said in a GoFundMe posting. Endre's aunt said he's now recovering, and that surgeon told the family Endre had inspired their medical team. Amid the horror carried out Wednesday by a shooter who authorities say was "obsessed" with the idea of killing children, stories of bravery and tragedy have emerged as families share accounts online. At least five children and one adult remained hospitalized Friday. The shooting left two students dead and 20 people wounded, nearly all of them children. Doctors and first responders in Minneapolis this week called the students and teachers at Annunciation Catholic School heroes for protecting each other and for following their active shooter training as the barrage of gunfire erupted during the first Mass of the school year. Some of those who showed up to help didn't know their children were among the injured. A pediatric critical care nurse at Hennepin Healthcare arrived at work Wednesday morning to help treat shooting victims. It was then that she found out her 12-year-old daughter, Sophia Forchas, was among the wounded, the family wrote on a GoFundMe page. The girl, whose younger brother also was at the school but not wounded, underwent emergency surgery and was in critical condition, a spokesperson for the hospital confirmed on Thursday. "Her road ahead will be long, uncertain, and incredibly difficult — but she is strong, and she is not alone," the fundraiser says. Father wants his son remembered for his love The father of the 8-year-old boy who was killed tearfully urged others to remember his son for his love of family, fishing and cooking. "Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life," Jesse Merkel said Thursday. The parents of 10-year-old Harper Moyski, who also died in the shooting, said they want to see their daughter's memory bring about changes when it comes to gun violence and mental health issues. "Change is possible, and it is necessary — so that Harper's story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies," Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin said in a statement. Shooting prompts calls for gun legislation Surveillance video captured the attack and showed the shooter never entered the church and could not see the children while firing, said Minneapolis police Chief Brian O'Hara. The shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, fired 116 rifle rounds through the church's stained-glass windows. O'Hara said Westman was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and died by suicide. The shooting has renewed calls for gun safety legislation. But getting that done may be difficult in Minnesota, a state closely split along partisan lines. Shooter showed hate for almost all Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said videos and writings the shooter left behind show Westman "expressed hate toward almost every group imaginable." Investigators have not yet found a clear motive for the attack on the church Westman once attended. Westman had a "deranged fascination" with mass killings, O'Hara said. Westman, who once attended the school and whose mother worked for the parish before retiring in 2021, left behind several videos and page upon page of writings describing a litany of grievances. One read: "I know this is wrong, but I can't seem to stop myself." What appears to be a suicide note to family contains a confession of long-held plans to carry out a shooting and talk of being deeply depressed. Federal officials referred to Westman as transgender, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey decried hatred being directed at "our transgender community." Westman's gender identity wasn't clear. In 2020, a judge approved a petition, signed by Westman's mother, asking for a name change from Robert to Robin, saying the petitioner "identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification."