2 children killed, 17 injured in Minneapolis school shooting; gunman shoots self

At least three casualties were reported while 17 others were injured in a shooting incident at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, in the US state of Minnesota, Reuters reported, quoting a US Justice Department official on Wednesday.

"The shooter was among those killed, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity," the report further said.

After going on a shooting spree, the gunman took his own life towards the back of the church, while two children aged eight and 10 were killed. Authorities have identified the shooter as Robin Westman, a law enforcement official told AP.

"Two of the injured children are in critical condition", Reuters quoted Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara as saying. Also, 14 of those injured were children. Nine others were undergoing treatment at a local trauma centre.

According to officials, the



shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol and is suspected to have used all of them. He fired with his rifle through the school church windows, Reuters reported.

The dastardly act took place two days after the Annunciation Catholic school, a private elementary school with about 395 students, started. The local police called it "a deliberate act of violence against innocent children".

The school was evacuated, and the students and their families were directed to a "reunification zone" on the school premises, ensuring that they are out of harm's way.

Earlier, officials at the Children’s Minnesota, a paediatric trauma hospital in Minneapolis, said that at least five children were admitted for treatment. Hennepin Healthcare, which has Minnesota’s largest emergency department, said it was also caring for patients from the shooting, as per an Associated Press report.