U.S. News
Vance Faces Protesters at Minneapolis Church Shooting Site
Clear Facts
- Vice President JD Vance visited Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis to honor the victims of a recent mass shooting.
- As Vance arrived, protesters with a progress pride flag shouted slogans and displayed signs calling for protection of children.
- The shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, killed two children and injured 21 others during a school Mass, with all firearms purchased legally.
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visited the scene of last week’s mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, meeting with victims’ families and pausing at a statue of the Virgin Mary.
Protesters holding a progress pride flag shouted slogans including “protect our kids,” “you’re a coward,” and “do better” as Vance entered the church.
Signs among the protesters read “protect kids not guns” next to the pride flag, and others stated “HATE WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT.”
Police identified the shooter as Robin Westman, a 23-year-old who had previously changed their legal name and purchased all weapons used in the attack legally.
The attack claimed the lives of Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, while 21 others were injured during the incident.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the shooting as “barbaric” and motivated by anti-religious sentiment.
“I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did,” Vance told reporters before leaving Minneapolis.
He called his visit with the grieving families “very heartbreaking, but also very gratifying.”
“They opened up their lives and they opened up their hearts and they made me part of it,” Vance said about meeting the victims’ families.
Vance praised the children lost, recalling Harper as a beautiful girl who had just received her first communion and Fletcher as an energetic and joyful child.
“We should talk more about these kids. We should talk less about the shooter,” he stated plainly, emphasizing the importance of honoring the children’s memories.
He asked Americans to pray for Lydia, a surviving victim facing a serious recovery, and for the ongoing strength of the victims’ families.
“So now, my fellow Americans, if you’re the praying type, say a prayer for this innocent girl who’s actually in surgery right now that the swelling will go down, that she will be okay because she’s still in a fight for her life,” Vance said.
When asked about investigating potential threats among those with gender dysphoria, Vance replied, “Certainly we should be investigating people who are planning on targeting kids.”
He said families urged authorities to seriously address the root causes and prevent individuals intent on violence from accessing firearms.
Vance pledged, “one of the ways that I’m going to try to honor these parents and the children that they lost is by being a better dad and hugging my kids tight tonight and making sure that they know that their dad loves them.”
Vance’s experience in Minneapolis underscored the grief of two families and highlighted the national debate surrounding violence, faith, and family values.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
D. Elwood
September 4, 2025 at 6:01 am
What exactly are these people protesting? We had a trans mental case go crazy and murder innocent children and people are protesting Vance for
somehow this is the fault of the Trump administration?
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Alex
September 4, 2025 at 1:18 pm
Get out of mom’s basement more often!
Steve
September 4, 2025 at 7:51 am
Sorry but Trans and mentally ill are the same damn thing and violence is the only thing democrats have because they don’t have any policies.
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Leslie
September 4, 2025 at 7:52 am
They were carrying a pride flag? It’s the transgender that murdered and injured innocent children and 2 adults. Transgender is a mental illness. Think about it. A guy decides he wants to be a girl. He has body mutilated by having parts removed and others added and is put on hormones to confuse the body into thinking TA-DA! I’m now a girl. The brain is confused and probably goes crazy. We now have an “it” – no longer a man or a woman, just the mutilated entity that’s now an “it”. But it’s still biologically a man. If the pre-op brain wasn’t confused and angry before, it sure is now. Transgendering kills, look at the statistics.
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Alex
September 6, 2025 at 6:47 am
LIE!