On the morning of August 27, 2025, families gathered inside Annunciation Catholic Church in South Minneapolis for a weekday Mass. It was a routine moment of prayer for children and parishioners. Then, without warning, gunfire erupted through the windows of the church. In seconds, a sacred space turned into a scene of chaos.
Prioritize Your Health Today
Life can change in an instant. Take charge of your well-being with fast, confidential lab tests you can trust. No insurance required—just peace of mind when you need it most.
Get Tested NowAuthorities say the shooter was 23-year-old Robin Westman, who was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. He fired into the church where both students and parishioners were present. Eighteen people were wounded in the attack. Among them were 15 children, three parishioners in their 80s, and two children who did not survive—an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old.
One of the children injured that day was 12-year-old Sophia Forchas, a seventh grader at the school connected to the church. Sophia was critically hurt and rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center. But what made her story especially heartbreaking was where her mother was at that very moment.
Sophia’s mother is a pediatric critical care nurse in the hospital’s intensive care unit. She had started her shift before she knew that the very place attacked was her children’s school. Soon after, she learned her own daughter was being brought in as a patient in critical condition.
According to a GoFundMe campaign created to support the family, Sophia underwent emergency surgery and is now recovering in the ICU.
“Her road ahead will be long, uncertain, and incredibly difficult — but she is strong, and she is not alone.”
The fundraiser states
Sophia’s younger brother was also inside the school during the shooting. He was not physically injured, but the trauma of witnessing the attack—and knowing his sister was critically hurt—is something the family says he will carry with him.
The tragedy has deeply shaken the parish and the wider Minneapolis community. Father Timothy Sas of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church confirmed that he spent much of the day at the hospital with Sophia and her family. He explained that Sophia was born and raised in their parish and grew up surrounded by an extended family of devoted church members.
As news of the shooting spread, flowers and tributes began to appear outside the school and church grounds. Community members gathered in grief, prayer, and solidarity with the victims’ families.
Hennepin Healthcare confirmed that Sophia’s mother is indeed an employee in the pediatric intensive care unit—the same unit where her daughter now fights to recover. Sophia’s father, Thomas Forchas, is listed as a co-organizer of the fundraiser, which has already raised more than $200,000. The money will be used for Sophia’s medical care, recovery, trauma counseling for her and her brother, and other family expenses.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara has said that despite the high number of injuries, all the surviving victims—including Sophia—are expected to recover. Yet, the emotional scars for the children and families who lived through that morning may take years to heal.
What began as an ordinary Wednesday service became one of the darkest mornings for Annunciation Catholic Church and its school community. A mother who dedicates her life to saving children now finds herself at her daughter’s bedside. And a city that has seen tragedy before is once again coming together to mourn, to support, and to hope that healing is possible.
Disclosure: We may earn a commission when you make a purchase through the ads.