Survivor of Minn. School Shooting Victim, 13, Identified and Out of Surgery

One of the 17 surviving victims of the mass school shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis has been identified.

Endre Gunter, 13, was shot in the stomach by suspected shooter Robin Westman on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at around 8:30 a.m. Westman allegedly fired at the church’s windows during the back-to-school Mass.

Gunter’s mother told CNN that her son was shot while “inside a church praying with his classmates.” She said that a Minneapolis police officer went to her son’s side, administered aid and prayed with him until he could be placed in the ambulance. “He said the officer rendered aid, hugged him, reassured him, and prayed with him before getting into the ambulance,” Gunter’s mother.

Since the shooting, Gunter was transported to the hospital, where he underwent surgery and is now recovering. His mother said that their family will work to help Gunter “rebuild his life, his trust, and his confidence.”

“We pray that everyone touched by this tragedy can find the strength to begin rebuilding too,” she said.

Gunter was one of 14 children between the ages of 6 and 15 who were injured in the shooting. Three elderly parishioners in their 80s were also wounded. There were two fatalities, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old. Their identities have not been disclosed. 

The gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the back of the church, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a news conference.

O’Hara said the shooter did not have a criminal history and authorities are still investigating a possible motive. According to O’Hara, Westman had timed for a manifesto to be released on YouTube. It appeared to show Westman at the scene and “included some disturbing writings,” before it was taken down by federal investigators, O’Hara said. Westman fired a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the agency is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics. 

In the aftermath of the shooting, a few surviving students have shared their accounts of the incident. One 10-year-old student said his friend was shot while shielding him from bullets that struck through the windows, according to a new report.

“My friend Victor, like saved me, though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit,” Weston Halsne told NBC affiliate KARE. Weston said he ran under a pew when the shots were fired. He added that his friend is “brave” and he hopes he’s “good in the hospital.”

Vincent Francoual told MSNBC that his 11-year-old daughter Chloe was in the church when shots came through the building. He said once he received the call that there was a shooting he rushed to the school. 

“It was very emotional. She saw me first, and she just cried,” he said, adding that his daughter feels “guilty” that she couldn’t help more of her classmates. “She thought she was going to die today,” he said.

O’Hara told CNN that the remaining victims are expected to survive. He told the outlet that while some of the children have been released from the hospital, there is still “a number” of them there. 

“They had a range of injuries. One, I believe, was like a graze wound from a gunshot,” O’Hara said. “All the way to some very, very serious and life-threatening injuries that thankfully they are expected to survive from.”