Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed and 17 people were injured when an attacker fired through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church at people celebrating Mass, police said.
Annunciation Church, which also houses a school, was filled with students when the shooting happened on Wednesday. Of the 17 injured victims, 14 are children and all are expected to survive.
The attacker, 23-year-old Robin Westman, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene and had no “significant criminal history”, authorities said.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping,” Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters.
“The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” he added.
The motive for the shooting is still unknown. It is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Police began receiving calls of a shooting just before 08:00 local time (14:00BST) on Wednesday.
The attacker approached the side of the building and fired dozens of shots through the church windows using three firearms - a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. Police also found a smoke bomb at the scene.