BOSTON (WHDH) - Parents and former students of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis recalled the frantic scene when Minnesota officials say a gunman opened fire during Wednesday’s back to school Mass.
“I parked and I ran up there. The police were kind of screeching up as I was approaching the church. I wasn’t hearing shots,” said Anders Holine, a parent at the elementary school.
Witnesses say it was a terrifying scene as people scrambled to get to safety.
A man who lives near the church says he tried to help three injured students.
“The one little girl who got shot in the head asked me to hold her hand the whole time, and I did,” said Pat Scallen. “And they asked for their parents…they wanted their parents, and I reassured them that I would get in touch with their parents or someone would right away.”
— Ivan Rodriguez on how the Minneapolis community is coming together after the tragedy —
The tragedy also left a former student devastated.
“It breaks my heart. It makes me sick to my stomach knowing that there’s probably people I know that are injured, or maybe they were even killed. It doesn’t make me feel safe in this community that I’ve been a part of for so long,” said Alexandra Bienemann.
Minnesota State Rep. Ilhan Omar says there’s been an outpouring of support from the community in the wake of the tragedy.
“We know that we are going to get to the bottom of what has taken place as the investigation unfolds. It’s been incredible to hear from leaders of Congress, even the White House reached out to see what our community needs, and that’s the kind of moment that we are in,” Omar said.
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