EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Bishop Mark J. Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso expressed his sorrow for the victims of the shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
“Well, one would think we’d get to the point where we were no longer shocked. But I am, and so disheartened by this news, and I don’t think we’ll ever know what was going on in the mind of this shooter. But it’s a diabolical kind of evil that I just can’t find a word that approximates such a thing to attack innocent people who are gathered to worship God and children in particular,” Seitz said.
According to KTSM’s parent company, Nexstar, two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed and 17 people were injured after a gunman fired shots through the windows of a church at Annunciation Catholic School during Mass on Aug. 27.
Additionally, a pediatric trauma hospital said seven children, between the ages of 9 and 16, were admitted for care. Another healthcare center said it was caring for adults, as well as children between 6 and 14 years old.
“No one should ever have to face the horror of losing loved ones, especially children in this way. In El Paso, we understand the weight of such a loss, and our prayers are with the victims, their families, and the entire Minneapolis community. May God, in His mercy, bring comfort and healing to all those affected,” Seitz said.
According to Nexstar, the shooter was identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who was armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol. Westman had no prior criminal history.
It is believed that Westman used all three weapons during the shooting, which law enforcement officials described as “deliberate.”
“On Aug. 3, 2019, at the Walmart, in which 23 people were killed, those wounds will remain with us. It’s how do you protect people from attacks such as this? You know, do we have to make our churches into forts? Do we need to surround them with military? Obviously, that’s not an answer, but, there again, that’s where you see that there’s really not too much that we can do as a church except to redouble our own efforts, to provide whatever kind of security we can as a nation. We have to deal with our way of thinking that says that somehow, these weapons of war are going to protect us. They do a lot more to harm than to protect us,” Seitz said.
Seitz also addresses a need for a sense of community, especially for individuals with mental health crises.
“We need to build a sense of community so that we’re aware when people are going through this, and we’re responding to them earlier in the process. That said, their fear clearly seems to be an epidemic of gun violence here because of the accessibility of guns,” Seitz said.
In light of the shooting, the Diocese of El Paso sent out a statement saying they remain vigilant to the safety and security of all children in Catholic schools.
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