(NewsNation) — Two children were killed and 17 people were injured in a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Authorities said they received reports of an active shooter at Annunciation Catholic School just before 8:30 a.m. CT. The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sits on steps of the Annunciation Church’s school as police response to a reported mass shooting, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) 
A person walks out of the Annunciation Church’s school as police respond to a reported mass shooting, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) 
Parents comfort their children after a shooting at Annunciation Church on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)/ 
Parents comfort their children after a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP) 
Community members embrace after a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP) 
A parent hugs her son during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, Minn., Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP) 
Parents await news during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025 (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP) 
Law enforcement officers gather outside the Annunciation Church’s school in response to a reported mass shooting, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) 
Law enforcement officers gather outside the Annunciation Church’s school in response to a reported mass shooting, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) 
Parents await news of their children’s status after a shooting at Annunciation Church on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP) 
Law enforcement officers gather outside the Annunciation Church’s school in response to a reported mass shooting, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave) 
Parents await news of their children’s status after shooting at Annunciation Church on Wednesday morning, Aug. 27, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images) 
An active shooter was reported at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. (AP)
Witnesses spoke to NewsNation about the moment they heard about the shooting. One woman, a former student at Annunciation, said that morning Mass was taking place just before the shooter was reported on the school’s campus.
“Everyone’s connected in the community right now and are talking about this,” the woman said.
Bill Bienemann, a man who was also at the scene and lives two blocks away from Annunciation, said he spoke with another man who was at Mass in the morning when the shooting broke out. He said he heard “sporadic gunfire.”
“He said it felt like it went on for eternity, but when it stopped, he ran out of the building,” Bienemann said.
Bienemann added that he also heard the gunfire from his home and was initially in disbelief that it could have been that.
“I’ll say I heard about 30 to 50 gunshots, somewhere in that area,” Bienemann said.
A senior producer with NewsNation was in Minneapolis visiting family and friends when she heard about the shooting. Her family lives just blocks away from Annunciation, and she described the scene from Wednesday morning’s shooting as “unbelievable.”
“The church has been here more than 100 years. The Catholic community is especially very tight-knit in this area,” she said. “So it’s just horrific to see this community hit so hard, so close to home.”