Second victim of Minnesota church shooting identified as ‘bright, joyful and deeply loved’ 10-year-old
The second victim of the deadly mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school on Wednesday has been identified as Harper Moyski, age 10.
“We are devastated to share that our beloved daughter, Harper Moyski, was tragically killed in the recent school shooting,” parents Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin said in a statement to media outlets. “Harper was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her.”
“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss,” the statement adds. “As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.”
Earlier today, Fletcher Merkel, 8, was named as the other victim in the shooting, which also wounded 18 people, mostly children.
“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our 8-year-old son Fletcher away from us,” his father, Jessie, said at a press conference on Thursday. “Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming.”
The shooting, which took place early Wednesday morning at a church next to Annunciation Catholic School, also injured 18 people, mostly children.
Sophia Forchas, 12, was among the injured.
She was later taken to a hospital where her mother was working as a nurse the day of the shooting.
“Sophia was shot during the attack and is currently in critical condition in the ICU,” according to a GoFundMe page. “She has already undergone emergency surgery, and her medical team is doing everything they can to stabilize her. Her road ahead will be long, uncertain, and incredibly difficult — but she is strong, and she is not alone.”
Eighth-grader Endre Gunter, was also injured. He is now recovering from surgery after being shot twice in the stomach, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his aunt.
Before being rushed into surgery, the 13-year-old asked a surgeon, “Can you say a prayer with me?”
“The surgeon later told us that not only did Endre survive the surgery, he fought through a terrifying event with courage that inspired the entire medical team,” the page reads. “That moment of prayer, and Endre’s resilience, will stay with our family forever.”
During the incident, in which students and local parishioners were gathered for the first Mass of the school year, the shooter, Robin Westman, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities are still working to determine potential motives for the violence.
Westman committed an “act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X on Thursday.
The official said Westman made “anti-Catholic, anti-religious” references in a manifesto and on weapons in her possession, expressed hatred towards Jewish people, and made calls for violence against President Trump.
In a series of jumbled personal writings posted online reviewed by CNN, Westman appeared to discount any central cause for the shooting and spoke of an obsession with past mass shooters.
“This is not a church or religion attack, that is not the message,” the shooter wrote. “The message is there is no message.”
Police said 116 rifle rounds were found at the site of the shooting.
The shooting, which comes on the heels of the killing of two Minnesota lawmakers in June, has inspired renewed calls for gun reform.
“I have a message for the president,” Manuel Oliver, father of one of the victims of the 2018 Parkland school shooting in Florida, told CNN. “You can make things happen. You can actually stop this from happening, and there is no political risk here because you’re still going to be the president for the next three years. So this is the time for us to change things.”
