FBI director Kash Patel said the case was being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.

The shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, a private elementary school with about 395 students, was the 146th such incident since January in the United States, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database.

What we know about the attacker

Public records showed Westman’s mother, Mary Westman, had worked as an administrative assistant at the Annunciation Church.

Minnesota as a whole has a gun death rate below the national average, according to a gun violence prevention group, Everytown for Gun Safety. Source: AP / Bruce Kluckhohn

How the attack unfolded

Officials said they found a smoke bomb at the scene and were searching a vehicle in the parking lot.

The investigation so far

The attack did not appear to be related to three other shootings over the past 24 hours in Minneapolis, including one at a Jesuit high school, that left three people dead.

Public response to the attack

US President Donald Trump ordered the US flag to be flown at half-staff nationwide as a sign of mourning.

Flags were lowered to half-mast at the White House for the victims of the shooting. Source: PA, ABACA / Pool

Pope Leo XIV said he was “profoundly saddened” by the shooting incident.