Minneapolis shooting victim named as 'wonderful' boy, 8, killed as he prayed

A little boy, just eight-years-old, who was killed in a deadly school shooting as he attended Mass has been named

Fletcher Merkel, aged 8 and a young girl aged 10, died after Robin Westman, 23, opened fire during a church mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, before turning the gun on himself. Seventeen people, including 14 children between the ages of 6 and 15, and three parishioners in their 80s, were injured in the attack. Westman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Fletcher's dad, Jessie Merkel, blamed the "coward" killer in a statement to NBC News for being the reason the young boy's family can't "hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming."

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"Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sports that he was allowed to play," his father told NBC News. "While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing."

Blois Olson, a spokesperson for the family, said that Fletcher was the third of four children. Three of the Merkel's four children were attending the Mass yesterday when the shooter opened fire, the othe rtwo were not injured. Mr Merkel asked that people remember Fletcher for who he was, and not for the tragedy that ended his young life.

"I've heard many stories accounting the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike from inside the church," he said. "Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I am thankful."

Investigators are now examining a series of disturbing posts and YouTube videos left behind by Westman, including a YouTube video expressing views of wanting to kill Donald Trump. Words written on firearms and magazines belonging to the killer include the names of previous mass shooters such as Norwegian White Supremacist Anders Breivik and Adam Lanza, who carried out the 2011 Norway and 2012 Sandy Hook killings, respectively. Anti-Semitic slurs and anti-India posts were also written on the firearms and magazines.

Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara, said the 23-year-old was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol. "We don't have a motive at this time," he added.

Of the 17 people injured, 14 were children ranging in age from 6 to 15, while the three adults were parishioners in their 80s. All were expected to survive, O'Hara said. Investigators believe Westman was a former student at the school, having attended for at least a year, while his mother, Mary Grace Westman, worked as a secretary there for five years before retiring in 2021.

The guns used in the attack had been lawfully purchased, Chief O’Hara said. At least two doors of the church had been barricaded from the outside, he said.

Ellie Mertens, 25, a youth minister at the church, was sitting inside with the children when bullets tore through the windows in a horror shooting lasting around two minutes, she said. "I was just feet away from this window where it was," Ms Mertens said in an interview. "The pew saved my life."

Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis says the tragedy could have been even more horrific if it were not for the swift actions of heroic church staff. "The way that they acted during severe threat and danger was nothing short of heroic," he said during a news conference.

Staff members are said to have moved children under pews to shield them from the gunfire as the shooter entered the premises. Ellie Mertens, who was in the sanctuary during the shooting, said she was sat inside the church when gunshots began to ring out. Headteacher Matthew D. DeBoer and other staff members had an "instinctual" reaction and "instructed everyone to get down," Ms Mertens said.

"The pews saved lives and took a lot of bullets" for the duration of the gunfire and as bullets ricocheted around the room. FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency was looking into the horror incident as "an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics".

Police say Robin Westman did not have an extensive known criminal history, acted alone and legally purchased the weapons recently.

Federal officials referred to Westman as transgender, and the mayor decried hatred being directed at "our transgender community." Westman's gender identity is not 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."