A shooter opened fire Wednesday morning during Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing two children and injuring 17 other people before killing himself, officials said.

The shooting happened during Mass at Annunciation Catholic School. Monday had been the first day of classes.

Of the 17 injured, police said 14 were children. Two of those children were in critical condition.

The shooting comes as school years are starting across the U.S., and some universities have dealt with false alarms about school shootings. At least a dozen college campuses faced hoax active shooter calls — some featuring gunshots sounding in the background.

Here are some of the things to know about the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School.

What do we know about the victims?

The two children who were killed were 8 and 10 years old, officials said. Authorities have not released the identities of the victims, but said the children who were killed were fatally shot while they were in the church pews celebrating a Mass. It is unclear how many people were inside the church at the time.

What do we know about the shooter?

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter — armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol — approached the side of the church and shot through the windows toward the children inside before killing himself in the parking lot.

He said the shooter was in his early 20s, did not have an extensive known criminal history and acted alone. He did not release more details.

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press authorities have identified the shooter as Robin Westman. That official was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

What do we know about the school?

Founded in 1923, the school had 391 students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Each grade level has two classes, with about 20 students in each class.

It’s located in the city’s Windom neighborhood, about 5 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.

The school’s website says teachers “focus on Christian values and civic-mindedness.”

President Trump’s comments

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that he was briefed on the “tragic shooting” and that the White House would continue to monitor the situation.

“The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene,” Trump said in a statement on social media.

“The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!”

A nearby shooting

A shooter killed one person and injured six others nearby Cristo Rey Jesuit High School on Tuesday afternoon, in what authorities believe was a targeted shooting.

Annunciation Catholic School is about 4 miles south of Cristo Rey, and officials do not believe the shootings are linked.

The police chief said Tuesday that a group of adults hanging out near the school were shot, and least one of them was targeted. There was no mention of anyone from the school being involved in the shooting.

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Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington has contributed to this report.

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By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators approved updated COVID-19 shots Wednesday but limited their use for many Americans — and removed one of the two vaccines available for young children.

The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are approved for all seniors. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed their use for younger adults and children to those with at least one high-risk health condition, such as asthma or obesity. That presents new barriers to access for millions of Americans who’d have to prove their risk — and millions more who may want to get vaccinated and suddenly no longer qualify.

Additionally, Pfizer’s vaccine will no longer be available for any child underage 5, after the FDA said it was revoking the shot’s emergency authorization for that age group.

Parents will still be able to seek out shots from rival drugmaker Moderna, the other maker of mRNA vaccines, which has full FDA approval for children as young as 6 months. But the company’s Spikevax vaccine is only approved for children with at least one serious health problem.

The revamped vaccines target a newer version of the continuously evolving virus and are set to begin shipping immediately. But it could be days or weeks before many Americans know if they’ll be able to get one, with access dependent on various decisions by federal health advisers, private health insurers, pharmacies and state authorities.

The new restrictions — previewed by FDA officials in May — are a break from the previous U.S. policy, which recommended an annual COVID-19 shot for all Americans 6 months and up.

The approach reflects heightened skepticism about the ongoing risks of COVID-19 and the need for yearly booster shots from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who were both outspoken critics of wide-scale vaccinations.

“The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense. This framework delivers all three,” Kennedy wrote on social media.

Kenned said Novavax’s shot is only open to people 12 or older, not younger children – and under the same risk-based restrictions as are now in place for the Moderna and Pfizer options. It’s the nation’s only protein-based COVID-19 vaccine.

Some medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have objected to the new limits, saying they may block vaccine access for families who want to protect their children. Last week, the group offered its own recommendations for kids, saying annual COVID shots are strongly recommended for children ages 6 months to 2 years and advised for older children.

That differs from the latest guidance under Kennedy, which doesn’t recommend the shots for healthy children of any age, but says kids may get the shots in consultation with physicians.

Many countries have scaled back COVID-19 vaccinations in recent years, and some U.S. experts say the change makes sense here, given that nearly all Americans have some protection from previous vaccination or infection.

But implementing the shift presents a number of logistical problems.

Insurers typically base their vaccine coverage decisions on the recommendations of a panel of advisers to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but some say they will also look to medical professional groups, including the American Medical Association.

Earlier this year, Kennedy dissolved the CDC panel and replaced its members with a number of doctors and researchers who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients. The panel is expected to meet in September, but no specific date has been set and no agenda released.

Depending on the panel’s advice, Americans underage 65 could be expected to provide documentation of a serious medical condition before they can get a shot. Complicating the rollout is the fact that pharmacists — who administer most COVID vaccines in the U.S. — typically aren’t expected to collect that kind of information. And laws governing their ability to administer routine vaccinations vary by state, where pharmacists are licensed.

Nearly half states limit vaccinations by pharmacists to those recommended by the CDC panel.

Access could also be complicated for healthy adults and children who are interested in getting a shot for extra protection.

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If the latest vaccines aren’t covered by their insurance, those patients could be required to pay $150 or more out of pocket if they want one. They might also have to find a doctor or other health professional willing to give the shot “off label,” or outside the use listed on the FDA label. Pharmacists may be reluctant to give vaccines off-label.

The updated shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax target a coronavirus subtype named LP. 8.1, a recently dominant version of the virus that is closely related to some newly emerging cousins.

All three shots were initially made available under the FDA’s emergency use authorization, an expedited process to quickly review vaccines and other countermeasures during the pandemic.

Moderna received full FDA approval in July for children down to 6 months and says it should have enough supply to meet U.S. demand.

In addition to revoking emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine, the FDA also pulled authorization for several other therapies from the pandemic years, including convalescent plasma, which was used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients before the first antiviral drugs became available.

COVID-19 vaccines do a good job preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death, which remain a bigger risk for seniors and people with underlying health factors, including heart disease, lung disease and cancer.

Preliminary data from the CDC estimates 47,500 Americans died from COVID-related causes last year. In at least two-thirds of those cases, COVID-19 was listed as the underlying cause of death. For the rest, COVID-19 was a contributing factor.

AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this story.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Two directors are no longer with Ramsey County after officials opened an internal investigation related to their involvement with a recuperative care business in Brooklyn Center.

Former Ramsey County Housing Stability Director Keith Lattimore’s last day with the county was Aug. 12. Former county Deputy Director of Housing Stability Kimberly Cleminson’s last day was Aug. 20, county officials confirmed Wednesday.

A call to an attorney for Care Chexx, the company Lattimore founded which was providing recuperative care services at a hotel in Brooklyn Center, was not immediately returned Wednesday. Cleminson was listed as a partner with Care Chexx.

County officials did not say Wednesday whether Lattimore and Cleminson resigned or were let go. They also did not provide information on the current status of the investigation.

A call to Bryan Huntington, the attorney for Care Chexx and BC Seva LLC, the hotel’s owner, was not returned Tuesday.

In late June the Brooklyn Center city council revoked the hotel Suburban Studio’s license after city staff discovered the medical respite facility serving homeless individuals was operating on its the premises.

Care Chexx which began providing recuperative care services at the hotel in June under a management and operations agreement with the hotel. Cleminson is listed as a partner with Care Chexx on its website.

County officials initiated an internal investigation in July “when we learned of a potential county involvement with the business,” officials said.

The Brooklyn Center city council approved a stay of revocation of the hotel’s license during its July 14 meeting, under the condition that Care Chexx may not operate there.

An open housing stability director position was posted online by county officials on Aug. 20 and lists an annual salary of $119,516.80 to $179,275.20.

Naly Yang is serving as interim director in partnership with Economic Growth and Community Investment Deputy County Manager Kari Collins. Yang previously served as a planning manager and has been with the county for more than 18 years.

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By KATE PAYNE and MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A top Florida official says the controversial state-run immigration detention facility in the Everglades will likely be empty in a matter of days, even as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and the federal government fight a judge’s order to shutter the facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by late October. That’s according to an email exchange shared with The Associated Press.

In a message sent to South Florida Rabbi Mario Rojzman on Aug. 22 related to providing chaplaincy services at the facility, Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said “we are probably going to be down to 0 individuals within a few days.” Rojzman, and the executive assistant who sent the original email to Guthrie, both confirmed the veracity of the messages to the AP.

A spokesperson for Guthrie, whose agency has overseen the construction and operation of the site, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FILE – President Donald Trump tours “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, on July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

News that the last detainee at “Alligator Alcatraz” could leave the facility within days came less than a week after a federal judge in Miami ordered the detention center to wind down operations, with the last detainee needing to be out within 60 days. The state of Florida appealed the decision, and the federal government asked U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams to put her order on hold pending the appeal, saying that the Everglades facility’s thousands of beds were badly needed since detention facilities in Florida were overcrowded.

The environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, whose lawsuit led to the judge’s ruling, opposed the request. They disputed that the Everglades facility was needed, especially as Florida plans to open a second immigration detention facility in north Florida that DeSantis has dubbed “Deportation Depot.” During a tour of the South Florida facility last week, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., said he was told that only a fraction of the detention center’s capacity was in use, between 300 to 350 detainees.

Williams had not ruled on the stay request as of Wednesday.

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The judge said in her order that she expected the population of the facility to decline within 60 days by transferring detainees to other facilities, and once that happened, fencing, lighting and generators should be removed. She wrote the state and federal defendants can’t bring anyone other than those who are already being detained at the facility onto the property.

Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe had argued in their lawsuit that further construction and operations should be stopped until federal and state officials complied with federal environmental laws. Their lawsuit claimed the facility threatened environmentally sensitive wetlands that are home to protected plants and animals and would reverse billions of dollars spent over decades on environmental restoration.

The detention center was built rapidly two months ago at a lightly used, single-runway training airport in the middle of the rugged and remote Everglades. State officials have signed more than $245 million in contracts for building and operating the facility, which officially opened July 1.

Associated Press writer Mike Schneider in Orlando contributed to this report. Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.