But thanks to the brave actions of several students, what could have been a devastating tragedy ended with far fewer casualties than feared.

The buddy system

When gunfire erupted at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday, terror swept through the pews. But in the midst of chaos, it was the courage of the children that made all the difference.

Middle school students, many paired with younger classmates through a school “buddy system,” jumped into action as the shooter fired indiscriminately through the church. Older children protected the younger ones, laying on top of them or guiding them under the pews, while teachers ushered students to safety.

”The first action by those middle schoolers was to push their buddies down under the pew. Which is why the middle schoolers were the ones that were standing the longest and were largely the injured, acting in heroism … and then covering the little ones under the pews,”  Michael Burt told NPR.

Burt, who has five children at Annunciation Catholic School, said his kids were friends with the two students fatally shot, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.

One kid’s heroic move

”I can tell you that all the kids at the school are kids to all of us,” he says. ”They are amazing human beings, amazing people in our community. And their kids will be mourned by all of us.”

According to multiple media reports, many of the students at Annunciation Catholic School showed remarkable courage by protecting one another.

”We had one kid that covered up another kid and took a shotgun blast to his back,” Marty Scheerer, chief of Hennepin Emergency Medical Services, said on Thursday.

Scheerer also explained the children at the school had undergone active shooter training and praised the ‘unrecognized heroes,’ adding, ”Children protecting other children often laid on the floor and covered each other up while teachers ushered kids to safety. That was key.’”

Everyone was getting shot at

Matthew DeBoer, principal of Annunciation Catholic School, also praised the older students and staff for their life-saving actions. He said adults quickly guided children under the pews ‘within seconds’ of the shooting.

”Adults were protecting children, older children were protecting younger children,’ he said. ”It could have been significantly worse without their heroic actions.”

Marty Scheerer added, ”The teachers were amazing. The teachers were getting shot at. They were protecting the kids.’”

Even in hospitals, acts of heroism continued. One young student injured in the shooting became visibly distressed during a CT scan. Without hesitation, a nurse who wasn’t assigned to respond to the mass casualty event sat with her throughout the procedure, despite radiation safety protocols, according to KSTP.

“She put a little lead on, stayed there and held her hand and held her hair while she went through scanners so she didn’t have to go through alone,” said Dr. Jon Gayken, a head trauma surgeon at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Countless lessons of bravery

Authorities confirmed the rapid, heroic response prevented far more casualties than anyone feared. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara noted, “There’s going to be countless lessons of bravery, from young children all the way up to elders.”

O’Hara also shared that the first officer arrived at the church ‘without hesitation’ just minutes after the 911 call. Parishioners told O’Hara that it was the first moment the children and others felt they might actually be safe.

When officers entered the church, they saw children with blood on them — not from their own injuries, but from the blood of other kids, O’Hara explained at a later news conference. Officials also noted that several medical first responders, many stationed only blocks from the church, have children who attend the Catholic school.

The suspect shot himself

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that the suspect, Robin Westman, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Authorities report that the shooter owned three legally purchased guns: a shotgun, a rifle, and a pistol. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that over 100 rifle rounds were recovered at the scene.

While no clear motive has been determined, the suspect is believed to have posted a manifesto on Facebook shortly before the attack.