A survivor of a mass shooting that took place at a church adjacent to Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis yesterday has been identified, and his mother has now spoken out about the ordeal.
Endre Gunter, a 13-year-old student at the educational facility, was shot in the stomach during the attack on Wednesday morning (27 Aug), after a person donning all black broke in and opened fire.
A mass celebrating the start of the new academic year for children aged from pre-school to the eighth grade was underway at the time, with social media photographs taken earlier showing classes smiling as they arrived.
The perpetrator was initially described as 'a man' in his twenties, dressed in all-black and armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.
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"During the mass, a gunman approached from the outside of the building," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara previously told press. "He struck children and worshippers that were inside the building."
It was later confirmed that two school children, aged eight and ten, were tragically killed in the shooting.
Three elderly parishioners in their 80s were also injured, along with a further 14 kids - two of whom are currently in critical condition, with one being Gunter, according to PEOPLE.
The teenager's mother has since spoken out on the incident, which marks the 44th attack on American school students so far in 2025 (as per data collected by CNN).
Speaking to the news outlet, the heartbroken mum claimed her son had been shot at while 'inside a church praying with his classmates', after which a Minneapolis police officer rushed to his side.
The officer then administered aid and prayed with Gunter until he could be transported to hospital.
"He said the officer rendered aid, hugged him, reassured him, and prayed with him before getting into the ambulance," the mother explained.
She added that her boy has since undergone surgery.
Gunter is now recovering under the watch of both hospital staff and his family, who have pledged to 'rebuild his life, his trust, and his confidence'.
The mum went on: "We pray that everyone touched by this tragedy can find the strength to begin rebuilding too."
The shooter - who was quickly reported to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound - has since been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, believed to be a former student at the school.
The attacker officially identified as a woman in 2019, after changing their name from Robert, as per court documents.
PEOPLE also reported that their mother applied for the name-change on the basis that Westman identified 'as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification'.
The New York Post add, however, that Westman seemed to 'back away' from this identity in the years that followed.
"I don’t want to dress girly all the time but I guess sometimes I really like it," a notebook recovered from their possessions read.
"I know I am not a woman but I definitely don’t feel like a man. I really like my outfit. I look pretty, smart and modest. I think I want to wear something like this for my shooting."
The motive for Westman's act of violence against children is not yet known, according to law enforcement sources who spoke to the Associated Press - though, the FBI is investigating the notion of the incident being either domestic terrorism or a hate crime against Catholics.
Rhianna Benson