Locked Doors, Rapid Police Response Credited With Saving Lives During Annunciation Catholic Church Shooting

(KNSI) – Official policy at Annunciation Catholic Church to lock the doors of the building once Mass is underway likely saved several lives on Wednesday.

The shooter was left to fire indiscriminately through the stained glass windows, unable to even truly see his targets. Another factor that blunted the attack was the rapid and heroic response from the Minneapolis Police Department.

Chief Brian O’Hara said at a Thursday press conference that the first officer on the scene arrived in minutes. “At 8:27 a.m., 9-1-1 began to receive initial calls of shots being fired. By 8:31, a Minneapolis Police officer in a regular uniform with no helmet, no SWAT gear, ran into the church.”

O’Hara went on to say he spoke with the parishioner who directed the officer to the main part of the church. They told O’Hara the sight of that officer running into danger was the first time they believed they would survive the assault. It was a sentiment shared by many of the children on scene, as well.

Officials are cautioning that we may never truly understand what motivated Robin Westman to terrorize Annunciation, killing two and injuring 18 others. Their investigation so far has found hateful remarks aimed at all types of groups, and there is no evidence yet as to what would trigger him to shoot up his former school. O’Hara says, “The public expects law enforcement to provide some explanation for what happened, but the reality is, this is an unthinkable, completely senseless act, violence perpetrated against children…and no investigation will ever be able to make sense of such an unthinkable tragedy.”

U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joseph Thompson says they chose to go after students in particular. “More than anything, the shooter wanted to kill children, defenseless children. The shooter was obsessed with the idea of killing children. The shooter saw the attack as a way to target our most vulnerable.”

Officials confirmed that Westman’s mother was an employee at the school at one time and that he had visited the building in recent weeks.

___