Shocking 911 Transcripts of Church Shooting Capture Terrified Parishioner’s Plea

As terrified children huddled under pews and whispered prayers, teachers and parents frantically called 911. The voices on those calls—pleading, breathless, and trembling—paint a horrifying picture of the August 27 shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in south Minneapolis, where two children were killed and more than a dozen others wounded.

The newly released 911 transcripts, obtained this week, capture the chaos inside the church as the gunman—later identified as 33-year-old Robin Westman, dressed head-to-toe in tactical gear—unleashed a storm of bullets during morning prayers.

“Dear God, dear God in heaven, there’s some guns in Annunciation Church,” one woman, parishioner Karen McCann, whispered to a dispatcher while hiding in the sanctuary. “We’re crouched under the pews. There’s a whole bunch of people here. He might be coming back.”

Dispatchers tried to calm the terrified callers. “We have so many responders on the way to you,” one replied.

Another voice—believed to be a teacher—was heard whispering: “Stay down, stay quiet. Don’t move.”

The first reports came at 8:27 a.m., when neighbors and drivers near 54th Street heard what one caller described as “20 gunshots in different bursts.”

“I saw a man in full camo gear, standing by the church with a giant rifle,” recalled witness Jillian Mai, a mother dropping off her child at the school. “It looked like something out of a war zone.”

Authorities say Westman, who lived alone and had recently lost his job, entered the church grounds and opened fire without warning. Father Dennis Zehren, who was preparing to lead morning Mass, said he “heard screaming and gunfire echo through the sanctuary.”

Inside, fourth-grade teacher Becca Hare struggled to protect her students. “People are hurt,” she told dispatchers. “Stay down, OK? I’m going to help.”

Downstairs, another teacher named Diane locked her classroom and pulled frightened children inside. “We were having crackers, and then we heard gunshots,” she said. “Kids came running from everywhere. We’re locked in the basement.”

The Minneapolis Police Department later confirmed Westman took his own life after being cornered by officers near the church’s south entrance.

Two children—Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski—were killed. Eighteen others, including 15 children, were injured. Among the wounded was Sophia Forchas, who was shot in the head and has since made what doctors called a “miraculous” recovery.

“It’s hard to even describe,” said Timothy Barnes, whose car was struck by bullets as he drove by. “You just saw a man standing there, shooting toward the church in all-black gear. I thought I was going to die.”

The attack reignited national debate over mental health, faith-based security, and Second Amendment rights. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey—a Democrat often criticized for his handling of public safety—called it a “senseless tragedy.”

But many locals say they’ve had enough of “senseless tragedies.”

“This is what happens when our culture stops valuing faith and discipline,” said Pastor Rick Langen, who leads a nearby congregation. “These attacks on churches are attacks on the soul of America.”

In Washington, President Donald Trump expressed condolences from the Oval Office, vowing federal assistance. “No child should ever fear going to church or school,” Trump said in a televised statement. “We are working with law enforcement to ensure this never happens again. The perpetrators of evil must face justice.”

Outside Annunciation, a growing memorial of flowers, candles, and children’s drawings continues to draw mourners. Teachers have been hailed as heroes for their quick thinking.

“These women saved lives,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Derrick Graves, who credited staff with helping children stay calm and preventing “an even greater loss.”

At a vigil held days later, parishioners held hands and prayed beneath the same stained-glass windows shattered by bullets. “We will not live in fear,” one priest said. “We will rebuild.”

Investigators found no evidence that the shooting was motivated by religion or race, though Westman’s family said he had been “deeply disturbed” in recent months. Authorities are still reviewing his online activity and writings.

Across social media, conservatives questioned how a heavily armed man in tactical gear could enter a school-church property unnoticed in a city once known for strict policing before the 2020 riots.

“Minneapolis used to be safe,” said resident Caitlin Nolan. “Now we just pray and hope our kids make it home.”