Minneapolis nurse’s worst nightmare: ICU mom discovers her own daughter among wounded children in church shooting

What began as an ordinary morning shift for Minneapolis pediatric nurse Amy Forchas turned into every parent’s worst nightmare when she realized her hospital was treating victims from a mass shooting at her own children’s school.

Mother on the front lines

Amy had rushed to Hennepin Healthcare early Wednesday as ambulances began arriving from Annunciation Catholic School and Church, where a gunman barricaded the doors before firing 50 to 100 shots through the church’s stained-glass windows. Among the critically injured was her 12-year-old daughter, Sophia, who was rushed into emergency surgery as her mother worked nearby in the ICU.

“Her mother arrived at work to help during the tragedy, before knowing it was her children’s school that was attacked, and that her daughter was critically injured,” a family friend wrote in a fundraiser.

Sophia’s road to recovery will be long and uncertain, loved ones said, but the family is clinging to hope. Her younger brother was also inside the church during the shooting. Though physically unharmed, he now faces the trauma of having witnessed the attack and knowing his sister nearly didn’t survive.

Prayers across the world

Father Timothy Sas of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, where the Forchas family are lifelong parishioners, urged prayers for the girl’s recovery.

“Sophia was born and raised in our parish, immersed in the life of the Church together with her extended family of several generations,” he wrote. “Her family and I are truly thankful for the immediate embrace of prayers coming from literally all parts of the world.”

Tragedy at Annunciation

The shooting unfolded around 8:30 a.m. as children gathered for a back-to-school Mass. Police identified the shooter as Robin Westman, a 23-year-old who changed his name from Robert in 2019, and said he was armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol.

Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed in their pews. At least 17 others were wounded, including 14 children and three elderly parishioners. Emergency dispatch audio captured responders urgently calling for “all the gauze you have” as they rushed to treat victims.

Soon after the attack began, Westman died by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities later revealed that all weapons were legally purchased, and noted that the attacker had a personal connection to the church: his mother, Mary Grace Westman, had served as a parish secretary at Annunciation until retiring in 2021.

A community in mourning

For Minneapolis families, what should have been the joyful first week of school has become a time of grief and disbelief. Parents who once sent their children off to class are now holding them tighter than ever, while the Forchas family waits anxiously at Sophia’s bedside.

“She is strong, and she is not alone,” supporters wrote, as the city continues to rally around the victims of a tragedy that has left lasting scars on a community of faith.