Vice President JD Vance visits Minneapolis after Catholic church shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Vice President JD Vance planned to visit Minneapolis on Wednesday to meet with families and victims of a shooting at a Catholic church that killed two schoolchildren and injured 21 people.

Security was heavy outside Annunciation Catholic Church ahead of the visit by Vance, who is Catholic, and second lady Usha Vance. The visit comes one week after an attacker opened fire during the first Mass of the school year for students of the nearby Annuciation Catholic School.

“They will hold a series of private meetings to convey condolences to the families of those affected by the tragedy,” the White House said in a statement.

The White House released few other details ahead of the visit.

Achbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis told Minnesota Public Radio earlier Thursday that he apparently didn’t make the cut for invitations and wouldn’t be there. But Hebda, who has met with the families himself, welcomed Vance’s visit.

“I was happy to hear that the parents were interested in meeting with the vice president,” Hebda told MPR. “I know they’ve met with other politicians as well, and I think it gives an opportunity for them to put a face on this great tragedy.”

Hebda also said it has been edifying to see all the prayers and other support from Pope Leo and other clergy, the community and beyond for all the families whose children attend Annuciation.

“For them to have the opportunity to share, up close, with the vice president and his wife, as they’ve done with our governor and our senator and our mayor, I think is a great opportunity to educate about what occurred and then to begin planning for how we can move forward,” the archbishop said.

The shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, died by suicide after firing 116 rifle rounds through the church’s stained-glass windows last Wednesday while hundreds of students and others gathered for worship.

While investigators say they have not found a clear motive for the attack, the shooter had connections to the school. Westman’s mother worked for the parish before retiring in 2021, and Westman once attended the school.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said last week that the shooter left behind videos and writings that “expressed hate towards almost every group imaginable” but admiration for mass killers.

The school has not yet announced when classes will resume or when a ceremony will be held to essentially reconsecrate the church so that worship can resume there. The church celebrated its Masses last weekend in the school gym.