Officials in Los Angeles order extra police patrols at Catholic schools in the area following deadly Minneapolis shooting
By Chelsea Hylton
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LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Officials in Los Angeles have ordered extra police patrols around Catholic schools in the area following the deadly shooting in Minneapolis that left two students dead and 17 others injured.
Mayor Karen Bass posted on X that, in light of the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school on Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Police Department would be conducting extra patrols at “all Catholic schools and places of worship.”
Bass added that Los Angeles Unified School District officials would be advising their safety teams to increase “high-visibility patrols” at its schools as well.
A shooter opened fire while young students from Annunciation Catholic Church were attending mass. The shooter approached from the outside of the building and fired a rifle through the church windows towards children and worshippers. An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old were killed while they sat in the pews.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter also used a shotgun and a pistol that they had legally purchased “recently.”
Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez described the shooting as “sad and disturbing.” He said he will be praying for all the parishioners at Annunciation Catholic Church, first responders and “for all our brothers and sisters in Minneapolis.”
“It is sad and disturbing that this attack was carried out while the children were praying at Mass,” Gomez said.
In a statement, Paul Escala, superintendent and senior director of the Archdiocese of LA’s Department of Catholic Schools, said his department would be offering additional support to help students and staff at LA schools. He emphasized that there are already several safety protocols in place.
“These protocols are reviewed on an ongoing basis, and in light of this event, we will work with our law enforcement partners to do all we can to ensure the safety of our schools,” Escala said.
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