On August 27, 2025, the unthinkable happened in Minneapolis. During a school-wide Mass at the Church of the Annunciation, a shooter opened fire on children, teachers, and parishioners.
Two children—just 8 and 10 years old—were killed. Eighteen others were injured, including 15 children and three elderly parishioners. And like too many of these stories, the gunman ended the violence by taking his own life.
Imagine sitting in church with your classmates, expecting prayer and safety, only to have that shattered in seconds. That’s what these kids lived through.
This wasn’t an isolated act of violence. It was the 44th school shooting in the U.S. this year.
Since 1999, hundreds of school shootings have stolen over 200 lives and left more than 400 injured. Every time, the numbers climb higher, and yet the cycle repeats.
Behind every statistic is a name, a face, a family forever changed.
You can see a breakdown of these numbers and trends on our School Shooting Statistics page.
Minnesota has its own painful record. Since 2020, the state has had 55 mass shootings. For kids here, guns are now the fourth leading cause of death.
When we think about “school safety,” it’s not just about drills or locked doors. It’s about the reality that children in Minnesota—and across the U.S.—are growing up in fear that the next shooting could be theirs.
These aren’t just numbers. They’re echoes. And every echo deserves to be heard until silence finally breaks.
We’re building the Echo Movement with the same bold energy you see in the world’s most forward-thinking platforms.
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