DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday ordered flags to fly at half-staff to honor the victims of a mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis.
The proclamation, signed earlier Wednesday by President Donald Trump, states that flags at all federal locations, military posts, seagoing vessels and embassies abroad will be lowered to half-staff until sunset on Sunday, Aug. 31.
“Kids deserve to feel and be safe in our schools, classrooms, neighborhoods, places of worship, and communities. No parent or family should ever have to wonder if their child is safe at school, and violence against any child or person in any form has no place in the United States,” Gov. Polis said in a statement.
National News
Read Church of the Annunciation's letter to parishioners after school shooting
The shooting happened as people were celebrating Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School just before 8:30 a.m. The shooter, identified by police as 23-year-old Robin Westman, approached the side of the church and shot dozens of rounds through the windows toward the children sitting in the pews, authorities said.
Two children were killed and 17 other people — among them 14 children and three octogenarian parishioners — were in the shooting. The slain children were 8 and 10, according to police.
National Politics
Police release more details: What we know about Catholic school shooting suspect
The suspect, armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a handgun, acted alone, police said. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, that the agency is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism.
“This is an awful attack, and I know the community will come together to remember those lost and support one another,” Polis said. “Colorado sends our deepest condolences to our friends in Minneapolis and Minnesota during this challenging time.”
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