Minneapolis Man Who Raced to Help Church Shooting Victims Recalls Scene: ‘It Was Chaotic’
August 28, 2025, MINNEAPOLIS – Pat Scallen, a longtime resident and alumnus of Annunciation Catholic School, became an unlikely hero on Wednesday when he sprinted toward the sound of gunfire erupting near his home. What he encountered was a scene of unimaginable horror: children emerging from the church, some wounded and crying for their mothers, amid the chaos of a mass shooting that claimed two young lives and injured 17 others. In emotional interviews with ABC News and other outlets, Scallen described the “eerie quiet” that followed the barrage of shots and his desperate efforts to comfort the victims until first responders arrived.
The Shooting: A Morning of Worship Turned to Tragedy
The attack unfolded just before 8:30 a.m. at Annunciation Catholic Church in south Minneapolis, during a Mass celebrating the first week of school at the adjacent elementary. Dozens of students, ranging from prekindergarten to eighth grade, along with staff and parishioners, were gathered inside when 23-year-old Robin Westman allegedly opened fire from outside, shooting through the stained-glass windows with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol—all legally purchased recently. Two children, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, were killed as they sat in the pews. Seventeen others were wounded: 14 children aged 6 to 15 and three elderly parishioners in their 80s. All injured victims are expected to survive, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
Westman, who had no prior criminal history and graduated from Annunciation in 2017, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound behind the church. Authorities recovered a possible smoke bomb at the scene and additional evidence from three linked residences, including hundreds of pieces related to the investigation. The FBI, under Director Kash Patel, is probing the incident as domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, though a clear motive remains elusive. Investigators are reviewing disturbing YouTube videos and writings attributed to Westman, which included violent themes, references to suicide, and phrases like “kill Donald Trump” and “Where is your God?” Some content featured Cyrillic script and a sketch of a church layout.
School staff acted heroically, ushering children under pews within seconds of the gunfire and conducting an evacuation once safe. Locked doors during Mass likely prevented further casualties, O’Hara noted. Children’s Minnesota Hospital treated several young patients, with four discharged by evening and three still under care. Hennepin Healthcare handled 10 victims, including eight children.
Scallen’s Account: From Confusion to Compassion
Living just half a block away— in the same house where he grew up and where his father and children also attended Annunciation—Scallen initially mistook the gunfire for construction noise. “I didn’t know exactly what it was at first, but after about the 10th shot, I knew something was wrong,” he told ABC News’ “Good Morning America.” Jumping from his chair, he raced to the church, spotting a discarded magazine on the ground en route.
“It was eerily quiet at first,” Scallen recalled. Then, as parishioners and students poured out, “it was chaotic.” He immediately focused on three injured children: a boy and two girls, one with a severe head wound. The boy, looking him in the eyes, insisted, “I’m okay, I am okay.” The girl, shot in the head, pleaded, “Please just hold my hand, don’t leave me.” Scallen stayed by their side, offering reassurance. “She kept saying ‘Please hold my hand,’ and I said I wasn’t going anywhere,” he told the BBC. He comforted them, promising to help find their mothers, while they waited for EMTs. “I didn’t want to leave those kids alone,” he emphasized to NBC News.
Scallen, reflecting on the school’s legacy in the community, expressed profound grief. “It will take a while to heal, and this will never go away for the people that were there,” he said. As church bells tolled mournfully in the distance, he grappled with the survivors’ questions: “Why did this happen? How could this happen?” Like many, he had no answers.
Community Response and National Mourning
The shooting has devastated Minneapolis, coming amid a surge of violence in the Twin Cities, including the June assassination of former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ordered flags at half-staff, describing the state as “heartbroken” and urging unity: “Hug your kids close.” President Donald Trump, briefed on the incident, proclaimed U.S. flags at half-staff until Sunday sunset as a mark of respect and monitored the situation via the FBI. Former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, both raised Catholic, expressed being “heartbroken.”
Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis relayed condolences from Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, who offered “heartfelt condolences” and prayers for the grieving families. A vigil at nearby Lynnhurst Park drew mourners leaving flowers, with parents like one mother from a nearby Catholic school calling it “absolutely horrifying.” The Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting in Minneapolis ended abruptly, with Chair Ken Martin labeling it “heartbreaking.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, visibly shaken, praised the staff’s heroism: “These kids were literally praying… They should be able to go to school or church in peace.” He shook his fist in anger, decrying the violence. The incident marks the fifth school shooting of 2025, per NBC News trackers, reigniting debates on gun control amid opposition from conservative groups.
As investigations continue, the Annunciation community clings to themes of hope from the school’s planned Jeremiah 29 focus, even as Principal Matt DeBoer admitted, “There’s nothing about today that can fill us with hope.” Yet, as Hebda urged, “We have to be men and women of hope,” drawing strength from global prayers and acts of compassion like Scallen’s.
Sources: ABC News, CNN, NBC News, BBC News, AP News, NPR, PBS News, The New York Times, Al Jazeera, FOX 9, MPR News, Reuters.