Newly released 911 transcripts capture chaos, fear during Minneapolis church shooting: ‘Stay down, stay quiet’

Newly released 911 transcripts reveal the fear and chaos that gripped students, staff and clergy inside a Minneapolis church when a gunman clad in tactical gear opened fire on them in August.

The transcripts, obtained by Fox News Digital, include teachers whispering to calm students and staff urging children to stay hidden at Annunciation Catholic Church, while passersby outside describe the gunfire. The heroism of educators and staff who kept students quiet under pews and sheltered in a downstairs classroom is vividly revealed.

“Dear God, dear God in heaven, there’s some guns in Annunciation Church, on 54th,” Karen McCann, a parishioner hiding in the sanctuary, told a dispatcher.

Becca Hare, a fourth-grade teacher, confirmed people were injured.

“I don’t know how many people are here, but there are people hurt,” Hare said. “Stay down, stay down, okay … I’m going to go help, I’m going to go help.”

The calls reveal dispatchers telling the terrified callers to stay hidden as teachers worked to keep students quiet under the pews.

Teacher Diane reported that she and her aides were downstairs, where they managed to barricade doors and took in fleeing children — actions that also likely kept the children safe from stray fire.

“We were downstairs having crackers and all of a sudden we heard gunshots … there’s a whole bunch of kids started coming in ’cause they’re running from everywhere,” she said.

“We’re in the church basement, locked in the classroom right now.”

Meanwhile, at the end of Hare’s call, she told students that the police had arrived and then she began giving commands to others to move out.

“People just asked if someone was hurt and they said yes,” Hare said. “If you’re injured and you can walk, could you walk?” she said as she tried to evacuate the children.

“Injured are going, we are evacuating,” she said. “We are going to the school, we are going to the school. It’s okay, I promise.”

Outside, two of Westman’s stray bullets also hit the car of motorist Timothy Barnes, who said he was driving by as gunfire erupted.

“I saw a guy start shooting and my car got hit by bullets,” Barnes said. 

Barnes described the shooter as being in all-black tactical gear with an assault rifle, standing “between the school and the church in a green space.”

In other documents obtained by Fox News Digital, police confirm that a death by suicide occurred as part of the same case.

Westman is not named in the documents, which were redacted in accordance with Minnesota state law. Minneapolis police, however, identified him by name during a press briefing following the shooting.

Two children, Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, were killed, and 18 people — 15 of them children — were injured. Sophia Forchas, who was shot in the head is making a steady recovery.