‘How do we do better?’: Salt Lake City Catholic Diocese speaks on Minneapolis church shooting

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — On Wednesday morning, a gunman fired into a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing 2 children and injuring 17 people. The Salt Lake City Catholic Diocese is speaking on the local impact of the loss, as well as the security measures they take in their buildings.

At approximately 8:30 a.m. CT, on August 27, 2025, 23-year-old Robin Westman fired shots through the windows of the Minneapolis Annunciation Church, where dozens of children were attending a school mass service, along with several adults.

According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old were killed. Additionally, 14 other children and three adults were injured. O’Hara said the remaining victims are expected to survive, with a range of severity of injuries.

The shooter, Westman, was found in the back of the church with what appears to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Currently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism, specifically targeting Catholics. They have not disclosed whether or not the shooter had a connection to Annunciation Church or if he had a specific motive, though he did post a manifesto online.

While the Minneapolis community is dealing with the immediate loss and effect of this shooting, the impact of this shooting is also being felt across the nation, including at the Salt Lake City Catholic Diocese.

Local Impact

Father John Evans, Vicar General for the SLC Catholic Diocese, said there haven’t been any specific requests for support from their Parish yet, but they are prepared to help if or when those requests come.

“It tugs the heart when you see this kind of senseless activity going on, when you see real evil at work, if you will,” He said, “We’re pretty far away, but what we can do is work in our community here. If they make a request, we can maybe help respond in what’s meaningful to them.”

“I also want to invite people to be thinking a little broader than that- support for what’s going on in the community, with our representatives, our legislatures,” Father Evans said, asking the community to think about, “how we advocate for issues around guns and the violence with them, how we advocate for the mental illness, how we address crime.”

He encouraged the public to go through available channels to advocate for change and referenced nationwide gun violence and crime. Additionally, Father Evans spoke on the impact of the shooting on the local Catholic community.

“It’s obviously dear to us as one of our own schools, but it doesn’t matter whether it’s Catholic or non-Catholic…these kinds of tragedies have a great impact and are devastating,” He said, “This is not a Catholic problem, it’s a problem across our whole country, for all demographics.”

According to Father Evans, the Diocese’s Catholic schools and other faculty buildings take several security measures in hopes to prevent or reduce the chance of experiencing an active threat.

Security Measures

In Utah Catholic schools, the Diocese requires faculty to be trained on what to do in the case of an intruder. Additionally, they often invite law enforcement to conduct security walkthroughs to determine what may need to be improved.

The Catholic Diocese also uses virtual trainings and holds in-person drills based on those trainings within their schools and parishes.

Father Evans noted that many virtual trainings focus on what to do if an intruder makes entry into a building. He said, “There are specific aspects to our security training where we’re addressing not just the intrusion or coming in, but the situational awareness of monitoring the parking lots, monitoring the entryways.”

However, he also stated that different Parishes and faculty should adapt their security measures to meet their individual needs and unique buildings, but that it may be difficult to fully prevent external threats. The Minneapolis shooter, for example, shot from outside of the building.

“Maybe nobody could see this coming, that’s always a possibility,” Father Evans stated, “But how do we do better in these areas of crime, mental illness, [and] issues we have with guns?”

Father Evans has one suggestion for the public, “If you want to make meaningful change, the best way is together, in numbers, in support, so get involved locally…Add that with your prayer, add that with your concern.”

Addy Bink and Alix Martichoux contributed to this report.