A tragic shooting incident at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on March 15, 2024, left two children dead and 17 others injured. The chaos unfolded as parents rushed to the scene, desperate for their children’s safety.
Laura DuSchane, a young mother eight months pregnant, was at home when she heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire. It was a Wednesday morning, and her three-year-old son, Rory, had just begun his third day of preschool. The rapid bursts of shots echoed through the quiet neighborhood, prompting DuSchane to spring into action, her heart racing.
She quickly opened the back door and climbed onto a table in her yard to see over the fences. Smoke billowed from the direction of the school, and neighbors stood frozen, visibly shaken. In a moment of panic, DuSchane yelled to those nearby, “What do I do? My kid is in the school?”
Instinct took over as she sprinted towards the school. Two men running in the opposite direction urged her to turn back, unsure if the shooter had been contained. Undeterred, she shouted, “I’m running up there. I have to go find my kid.”
As she ran, DuSchane attempted to call 911, but her calls failed to connect. Instead, she dialed her husband, Patrick, to inform him of the unfolding disaster: “There’s a school shooting at Annunciation.”
By the time she reached the area, police vehicles swarmed the block. “I had run past a lot of trauma already,” DuSchane recalled. She witnessed children fleeing from the church adjacent to the school, some injured and bloodied. The reality of the situation was overwhelming.
The shooting resulted in a staggering toll: two children, Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, lost their lives at the scene. Fifteen additional children aged 6 to 15 were injured, alongside three parishioners in their 80s. Fortunately, most of the injured are expected to survive.
DuSchane pressed forward, driven by the need to find Rory. As she navigated through the chaos, the sounds of terrified children filled the air. Eventually, she spotted another parent and together they rushed towards the school entrance. Upon entering Rory’s classroom, where the children remained unaware of the danger, she quickly alerted the teacher, “There’s an active shooter, and we need to barricade this room.”
Despite having not practiced an active-shooter drill in years, DuSchane’s instincts kicked in. The teacher, Hannah Rausch, only three days into her new role, gathered the class and turned the situation into a quiet game. DuSchane watched as seventeen three-year-olds sat silently, an impressive feat under such distress.
After several tense minutes, news arrived that the shooter was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound behind the church. Outside, signs reading “FAMILY” directed parents to the church basement, which had been designated as a reunification site for families.
DuSchane guided Rory’s classmates to safety, holding hands with another child until their parents arrived. Meanwhile, a wave of anxious parents surged toward the school, many in tears, desperate for news of their children. Among them was Patrick, who shared in the fear and uncertainty of that moment.
As parents were reunited with their children, police began clearing the area to accommodate those still searching. Reflecting on the chaotic scene, DuSchane noted, “I only had to feel that feeling for about 15 minutes, and that was the worst 15 minutes of my entire life.”
Rory, still too young to fully grasp the situation, understood only that something terrible had occurred. DuSchane explained to him, “There was a monster at the school, and the police took the monster away.”
This incident serves as a grim reminder of the ongoing challenges surrounding school safety and gun violence in communities across the United States. The impact of such tragedies extends far beyond the immediate victims, affecting families and communities in profound ways.