Officials said

Investigators said attackers who opened fire on students while praying at Minneapolis Church were “obsessed with the idea of ​​killing children.”

Minneapolis Police Commissioner Brian O’Hara said Robin Westman killed two children and injured 18 people, but there seemed to be no specific motive.

The head of the head said Thursday: “The attackers seemed to hate all of us” and added: “The shooter wanted to kill the child”.

The murdered child was identified by his family as eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.

“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away,” his father, Jesse Merkel, told reporters.

“We will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him, watch him grow into the wonderful young man he is heading towards,” he said.

“Fletcher loves his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sports he is allowed to participate in.”

“Remember that person at Fletcher, not the act of ending life,” he continued.

“Give your kids an extra hug and kiss today. We love you, Fletcher. You’re always with us.”

The parents of Harper Moyski, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin said in a statement that their daughter was “a smart, happy and deeply loved 10-year-old who moved everyone who knew her with laughter, kindness and spirit.”

The family said Harper’s sister “worships her elder sister, and is grieving, unimaginable losses.”

“As a family, we are broken and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.”

They added that the family hopes “memory is action” to stop gun violence.

“No family has to endure this pain. … Change is possible, it is necessary – so Harper’s story won’t be another in a series of tragedies.”

Officials have so far rarely released details about the suspect’s background, but said she had attended school in the church before and had a mother working there.

The 23-year-old suspect is believed to be close to the side of Angel Church, which also has a school and has opened dozens of photos through the window with three shots. Police also found a smoke bomb at the scene.

Witnesses described seeing children bleed when they fled from church and seeking help from strangers.

“The shooter expressed hatred for many groups, including the Jewish community and President Trump,” during a press conference Thursday.

Officials said the attacker died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, leaving a note behind, but they added that the exact motive may never be known.

“I will not dignify the attacker’s words by repeating them, they are terrible and evil,” Mr Thompson said.

Westman’s name changed from Robert to Robert in 2020, and the judge wrote: “Minor children are considered women.” However, some federal officials and police called Westerman a man when discussing the attack.

Chief O’Hara told reporters that the news media should stop using the killer’s name because “the purpose of the shooter’s action is to gain infamousity.”

He added that she was “like many other mass shootings we often see in this country and around the world,” she said.

For years, U.S. officials have warned that mass shootings could lead to imitators’ killings as killers become famous for trying to pass heinous crimes.

Several major news organizations have a policy that does not recognize mass killers.

FBI Director Kash Patel described the attack as “an act of family terrorism motivated by hatred-filled ideologically.”

Patel said in an article on X that the attackers “left multiple anti-Catholic, anti-religious references written by the gun” and wrote notes on the notes found by investigators.

He wrote: “The subject expresses hatred and violence against the Jews, and writing Israel must fall, ‘free Palestine and use clear language related to the Holocaust.”

The killer also “wrote clear calls for violence against President Trump in Gun magazine.”

In their press conference, officials confirmed that the attackers had attended school before. Her mother, Mary Grace Westman, had worked at the school and has so far not responded to law enforcement’s attempts to contact her.

They also confirmed that three homes related to attackers from the suburbs of Minneapolis have been searched by police.

They said the church locked the door before it started mass service, which may have saved many lives.

Officials added that the guns used in the attack were legally purchased, the killer did not appear on any government surveillance list, and the police did not know any mental health diagnosis or treatment she received.

Witnesses and relatives of victims who spoke to the BBC described the painfully violent scene.

Patrick Scallen, who lives near the church, said he saw three children escape from the building – one of them a girl with a head injury.

“She kept saying, ‘Please hold my hand and don’t leave me’, and I said I didn’t go anywhere.”

At the time of the shooting, Chloe, the 11-year-old daughter of Vincent Francoual, said in the church that he tried not to panic after hearing the news.

He called it a “sickness” because children in the United States were trained to prepare for mass shootings.

“We live in a country that trains kids to do what. She does what she has to do,” he said.

“It’s a pattern. It’s no longer a weird accident,” he said of the school shooting in the United States.

“I told my wife that every morning, when we put down our kids, we don’t know if she will be safe.”

Mr Francoual, who originally came from France, said Chloe was afraid to return to school or church.

Following the attack, several lawmakers, including the mayor of Minneapolis, called on the state to issue a ban on assault weapons.

“There is no reason to undo 30 photos before having to reload them,” Mayor Jacob Frey said.

“We’re not talking about your dad’s hunting rifle here. We’re talking about guns made to pierce and kill people.”