Authorities say Robin Westman, a 23-year-old former student who identified as female, opened fire through church windows at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on 27 Aug., killing an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old and wounding 18 others, including 15 children. Westman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police recovered a rifle, shotgun and handgun purchased legally in Minnesota and found writings that praised previous mass shooters and expressed hatred toward multiple groups. Speaking in Wisconsin a day later, Vice President JD Vance led the audience in a Catholic prayer for the victims and urged Americans to do the same, calling the attack “a heartbreaking reminder of evil.” Vance rebuked critics such as MSNBC host Jen Psaki, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who had questioned the value of “thoughts and prayers,” saying, “If your politics force you to condemn prayer after two babies are murdered, you should get new politics.” The vice president also linked the violence to what he described as a national mental-health crisis, noting that the United States “takes way more psychiatric medication than any other nation on Earth.” He welcomed a newly announced Health and Human Services review into whether some antidepressants may contribute to violent behavior, although medical experts say evidence of such a link remains scant. Investigators have not identified a specific motive but said Westman “harbored hate toward almost every group imaginable” and was obsessed with previous school shootings. All of the surviving victims are expected to recover. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has deployed additional state troopers to protect schools and places of worship while the community organizes vigils and memorials for the slain children.