The two children killed in a shooting at
a Catholic church in Minneapolis have
been named as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel
and 10-year-old Harper Moyski. 18 other
people were also injured as they were
celebrating mass on Wednesday morning.
Authorities say the attacker was
obsessed with the idea of killing
children. Our North America
correspondent Peter Bose reports.
The murdered children, 10-year-old
Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel, who
was eight, killed by an attacker whose
motive, the police say, may never be
known.
>> Yesterday,
a coward decided to take our 8-year-old
son, Fletcher, away from us.
Because of their actions, we will never
be allowed to hold him, talk to him,
play with him, and watch him grow into
the wonderful young man he was on the
path to becoming.
>> The children had been attending a
service to celebrate the new school
year. They died in the pews where
they've been sitting.
Please remember Fletcher for the person
he was and not the act that ended his
life.
Give your kids an extra hug and kiss
today.
We love you, Fletcher. You'll always be
with us.
The parents of Harper Moy issued a
statement saying their daughter was a
bright, joyful, and deeply loved
10-year-old whose laughter, kindness,
and spirit touched everyone who knew
her. As a family, we are shattered, and
words cannot capture the depth of our
pain."
They added that they hoped Harper's
memory would fuel action to stop gun
violence so that her story did not
become yet another in a long line of
tragedies.
But the community reaction and the
scenes of mourning on this Catholic
school campus are all too familiar.
Tears, flowers, hugs, but still
disbelief that yet another American
school has been targeted. in this case,
according to the police, because the
asalent had an obsession with killing
children.
Investigators say the asalent, a former
student at the school, left a YouTube
video describing being depressed and
showing off guns and ammunition
alongside racist, anti-Semitic, and
other violent messages. The police say
the 23-year-old appeared to idolize
other school attackers. Yet they were
still able to buy legally multiple
weapons, including a semi-automatic
rifle.
>> The shooters saw the attack as a way to
target our most vulnerable among us
while they were at their most vulnerable
at school and at church.
>> Once again, there are calls in this
country for tougher gun laws, but little
expectation that Washington will act.
Peter Bose, BBC News.