Crime
8-year-old Fletcher Merkel killed in Annunciation Catholic school shooting
MINNEAPOLIS — Authorities have identified one of the two children killed in Wednesday’s mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, describing the event as one of the darkest days in the city’s history.
The victims were an 8-year-old boy and a 10-year-old child. On Thursday evening, officials confirmed the 8-year-old victim as Fletcher Merkel.
The 10-year-old has not yet been publicly identified.
Outside Annunciation Church, Fletcher’s father, Jesse Merkel, delivered a moving statement on behalf of the family.
“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our 8-year-old son, Fletcher, away from us,” he said. “Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him, or watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was becoming. Fletcher loved his family, his friends, fishing, cooking, and every sport he could play.”
Merkel went on to thank the many children and adults who acted heroically during the attack, noting that their quick actions prevented even greater loss of life.
He concluded with a plea for empathy rather than sympathy, asking the community to remember Fletcher for the joyful child he was rather than for the tragedy that ended his life.
Police say the gunman, 23-year-old Robin Westman, a former student at Annunciation, opened fire during morning Mass at approximately 8:27 a.m. Wednesday.
Westman, armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol—all purchased legally—fired more than 100 rounds into the sanctuary, striking children as young as six. Investigators later recovered 116 rifle casings and three shotgun shells from the scene.
Authorities said Westman blocked some doors with wooden planks in an apparent effort to trap victims inside. Chief Brian O’Hara noted that the church’s policy of locking doors after Mass began likely prevented even greater casualties.
By 8:31 a.m., a Minneapolis police officer arrived and rushed into the church without tactical gear. Parishioners later told officials his arrival was the first moment they believed survival was possible.
The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound outside the church.
In total, 18 people were injured, including 15 children between the ages of 6 and 15 and three elderly parishioners in their 80s. Two children, Fletcher and another yet-unidentified 10-year-old, were killed.
Hospitals across Minneapolis continue to care for survivors:
- Children’s Minnesota reported treating seven pediatric patients, three of whom remain hospitalized in serious or critical condition.
- Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) confirmed it has treated nine victims, including five children. One child remains in critical condition.
Among those wounded is 12-year-old Sophia Forchas, a parishioner at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, who underwent emergency surgery and remains in critical condition.
Doctors and first responders have shared accounts of extraordinary bravery, including a child who shielded another from a shotgun blast and a nurse manager who climbed inside a CT scanner to comfort a terrified child.
The FBI is treating the shooting as both an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime. FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators recovered writings, firearms with hateful inscriptions, and a manifesto that included anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic language. Patel described the shooting as a “barbaric attack” motivated by “pure, indiscriminate hate.”
Authorities also confirmed that Westman admired and studied previous mass shooters, seeking notoriety through the attack. Chief O’Hara urged media outlets to stop repeating the suspect’s name, saying, “That was the whole purpose of why he did this act.”
Court records show Westman legally changed their name from Robert to Robin in 2020 with the support of their mother, Mary Grace Westman, a longtime parish employee. Investigators are seeking to speak with her, though she has not yet cooperated.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced an immediate increase in security for schools and houses of worship across the Twin Cities. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for unity, warning against scapegoating vulnerable communities.
“Anybody using this as an opportunity to vilify our trans community—or any community—has lost their sense of humanity,” Frey said. “This needs to be about the kids. Kids died today.”
Chief O’Hara acknowledged the community’s deep grief, calling the massacre “an unthinkable and senseless act of violence against children worshipping at Mass.”
As the investigation continues, federal and local officials pledged to leave “no stone unturned” in uncovering Westman’s motives and preventing future attacks.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.