MINNEAPOLIS – The city was in a state of mourning as authorities on Thursday worked to determine what motived a 23-year-old to open fire on a church filled with schoolchildren, killing two young students and injuring 17 others while they prayed.

Minnesotans gathered late Wednesday for a vigil in remembrance of the slain victims, ages 8 and 10, and to pray for the recovery of the injured. Hundreds of people sat in folding plastic chairs and on bleachers and stood outside to hear Archbishop Bernard Hebda speak in the Academy of Holy Angels High School gymnasium.

“I'm not usually that emotional, but I was genuinely shaking,” said Elaina Polding, 17, who goes to youth group at Annunciation Catholic Church, where the shooting unfolded.

Hebda spoke with the USA TODAY Network after the vigil. As the FBI investigates the attack as "an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics," he stressed the importance of holding onto faith.

The shooter, identified as Robin Westman, was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol and opened fire through the church's stain-glass windows. The gunfire began as children and parishioners were praying during a Mass in celebration of the beginning of the school year at Annunciation Catholic School, located steps away from the church.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said Westman died from a self-inflicted wound. He said the weapons used in the attack had been purchased legally, and that investigators were searching multiple properties in connection with the shooter, as well as Westman's online presence.

Nurse held scared, injured child's hand inside CT scanner, doctor says

Dr. Jon Gayken, a trauma surgeon at Hennepin County Medical Center, called his colleague's response to the shooting "inspiring," describing at a news conference Thursday how they cared for multiple children injured in the deadly shooting.

Gayken recalled the actions of one nurse who encountered a scared child and decided to climb into the CT scanner to comfort her.

“One of the children were very scared and alone because everyone was running about and doing their jobs,” he said. “And (the nurse) went into the CT scanner with the patient, putting herself in harm’s way of radiation … normally we would evacuate the room.”

“She put a little lead on, and stayed there and held her hand and held her hair while she went through the scanner so that she didn’t have to go through it alone,” Gayken added. “Those are the types of things we witnessed yesterday.”

Child shielding another student 'took a shotgun blast,' official says

Children inside Annunciation Catholic Church protected each other as a shooter opened fire during their morning Mass, said Marty Scheerer, director of emergency medical services at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Scheerer at a news conference on Thursday said one child covered another student and "took a shotgun blast to his back."

He also praised the teachers inside the church, who he said were "protecting the kids" as they were "getting shot at."

"The teachers were amazing," he said.

Hospital says 1 child in critical condition after Catholic church shooting

An official with Hennepin Healthcare said one child was in critical condition a day after the deadly shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church.

Thomas Klemond, the interim CEO of the healthcare system, told reporters on Thursday that the hospital was caring for nine patients in connection with the shooting. Six people were in "satisfactory" condition, including five children; one adult and one child were in "serious" condition; and one child was in critical condition, Klemond said.

"This was a horrible, unspeakable event that affected our community, affected our workforce," Klemond said. "Our hearts go out to the folks that are directly affected."

'Schools can't do everything:' Expert weighs in on shooting preparedness

Dr. Kenneth S. Trump, a school safety expert specializing in training for emergency preparedness, told USA TODAY that the attack was unique in its situation, being a faith-based school and complicates how institutions prepare and train for mass violence incidents.

"It's a tough sell to tell people you're going to interrupt a religious proceeding to train to do a lockdown," he said.

But for Trump, preventing mass acts of violence in schools is less about the "shiny things" like installing metal detectors and arming teachers, and more about monitoring and supervising students.

"Knowing your kids is one of the most important things that you can do as a school staff member," he said. Despite this, "schools can't do everything, so many of society's ills and challenges are dumped upon the schools and the schools are just a microcosm of the society."

– Sam Woodward

Minneapolis hospital caring for 8 children injured in church shooting

Hennepin Healthcare, the largest trauma hospital in Minneapolis, said Wednesday night that it was treating 10 victims wounded in the deadly attack at Annunciation Catholic Church.

Of the injured, one adult and five children were in critical condition. Three children and one adult were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the hospital said in its latest update.

Democratic officials to call for gun control in upcoming news conference

At a news conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon, a group of Democratic officials, lawmakers, clergy members and gun control advocates will honor the victims and "call for action, including a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines," according to a media release announcing the event.

Among the officials set to attend the news conference are Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., state Sen. Zaynab Mohamed and state Rep. Emma Greenman.

The event will take place at Minneapolis City Hall is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., local time. It can be watched here.

Prayer service planned after Annunciation Catholic Church shooting

A prayer service for peace and healing will be held at Cathedral of Saint Paul at noon local time, the church said in a social media post.

"We are called to be the light of Christ in this dark moment of tragedy at Annunciation church and school," said Rev. Joseph R. Johnson in a statement announcing the service. "We also remember those killed or wounded in other local shootings yesterday. They join a long list of victims of violence in the Twin Cities."

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Minneapolis on Wednesday night to honor and pray for the victims in a vigil.

Nonprofit launches 'Minneapolis Annunciation Response Fund'

The Minneapolis Foundation, a nonprofit, launched a fundraiser to help support the victims and families affected by the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church.

A statement from the City of Minneapolis encouraged those seeking to donate to text "ACF1 to 41444."

"The Minneapolis Foundation is hosting this fund and will work with the Annunciation community in the coming days and weeks to equitably distribute the funds to those affected," the city's website said.

What we know about Robin Westman, Catholic church shooting suspect

Local and federal law enforcement agencies identified the attacker as 23-year-old Robin Westman.

Westman is believed to have been a former student at Annunciation Catholic School, but authorities say it's unclear what role that may have played. Authorities say Westman barricaded at least two emergency exits from the outside before launching the attack, firing dozens of rounds through the church windows.

YouTube videos posted from an account linked to Westman show a cache of weapons with racist, homophobic, antisemitic and hateful language against Muslims and other minority groups. The writings included names and references to other mass shooters and a threat against President Donald Trump. One of the videos showed what appeared to be a drawing of the church.

Federal authorities said Westman was transgender. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey at a news conference spoke against people using the shooting "to villainize our trans community."

Court records show Mary Westman, the mother of the suspected shooter, signed a petition to change her child's name in 2019. A handwritten filing said the "minor child identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification." A district judge approved the change in 2020 when Robin Westman was 17.

Authorities comb through videos for motive in Catholic school attack

O'Hara said online messages from the shooter released Wednesday were timed to publish during the attack. He said the FBI ordered the YouTube clips to be taken down and was reviewing them.

O'Hara said the messages "included some disturbing writings," adding that police have not ascertained a motive.

Asked whether the assailant had attended Annunciation school, O'Hara said investigators haven't confirmed that but are looking into it. Westman's mother, Mary Westman, had previously worked as an administrative assistant at Annunciation Catholic Church, according to posts on the church's website and Facebook page.

What we know about the victims in the Minneapolis school shooting

The attack killed two children, ages 8 and 10, and wounded 17 others. The names of the deceased and the wounded victims have not been released.

Injured in the shooting were 14 children, ages 6 to 15, and three adults in their 80s. All were expected to survive.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci and Thao Nguyen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live updates: Shooter's motive sought in Annunciation Catholic Church attack

Reporting by John Bacon, Corey Schmidt and Christopher Cann, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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