Editor’s Note: After this story was published, local news confirmed that the shooter primarily used the AR-15 noted below. According to a search warrant, the shooter fired four AR-15 magazines’ worth of ammunition at the scene and had three spare magazines in reserve.
On August 27, 2025, a 23-year-old reportedly armed with a rifle, pistol, and shotgun opened fire on the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis as students were attending mass. Shooting through stained-glass windows, the attacker killed two children, ages 8 and 10, and wounded 21 others, including 18 other children.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the suspect fired 116 rounds from the rifle and three from the shotgun. Another round was found jammed in the recovered pistol. All three guns were purchased recently and legally. A witness said the shooting lasted less than four minutes, suggesting that the rifle was semi-automatic.
Law enforcement officials also confirmed to NBC News that videos circulating online had been uploaded by the suspected shooter. Additional media descriptions of the videos on the channel that is reportedly being investigated by law enforcement as potentially linked to the shooter match a series of videos that have been archived and circulated online in the wake of the attack. The videos make it clear that the shooter was steeped in modern gun culture and had amassed an arsenal of firearms that may have been used in the shooting — an AR-15 rifle with multiple high-capacity magazines, a 12-gauge Mossberg 590S Shockwave shotgun, a 9mm Taurus GX2 pistol, and a Colt revolver — as well as a smoke grenade and other tactical gear.
The items are covered in racist and extremist markings, including the names of other mass shooters, calls to kill President Trump, and references to the Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents. Research has shown that content that valorizes mass shooters is easily accessible online and has been commonly reported among previous perpetrators of mass shootings.
a closer look at the weapons
The AR-15 shown in the video appears to have been assembled from parts, including a lower receiver made by 17 Design and Manufacturing, a now-defunct company that specialized in AR components. The rifle was also outfitted with a Primary Arms red-dot sight, sling, and Magpul forward grip.
One reason why AR-15s and other assault weapons are so dangerous is their ability to accept high-capacity magazines, as they allow shooters to fire dozens of rounds and reload in a matter of seconds, leading to significantly more casualties in mass shootings. In the video, the suspected shooter shows off several AR-15 magazines, including 30-round Amend2 and Magpul models as well as a 60-round ATI Schmeisser magazine.
The pump-action Mossberg 590S Shockwave features a pistol grip instead of a traditional shoulder stock for easier concealment. The shooter appears to have added grip tape for enhanced control and a sling. Finally, as mentioned, the shooter also displayed a Taurus GX2 pistol and Colt revolver.
guntubers and the industry
In the same video, the suspected shooter referenced well-known guntuber and Republican congressional candidate Brandon Herrera, saying, “We agree on a lot of things. So y’all should vote for Brandon Herrera for president.” He also mentioned guntuber Vintage Warfare, claiming that he “promotes love and peace and accepting differences.”
In addition, the suspected shooter referenced the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show put on by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the gun industry’s trade association.
In response to the shooting, the NSSF issued a statement in which the group’s president, Joe Bartozzi, said that the “firearm industry is often the first target of gun control groups when mentally-unstable criminals commit their heinous murders.”
Bartozzi called for “a thorough investigation” and a “comprehensive review of practical solutions to protect schools and houses of worship,” but did not mention assault weapons or the role they have played in the country’s deadliest mass shootings. In the past, the NSSF has vehemently opposed practical solutions like assault weapons bans — even though Americans were 70 percent less likely to die in a mass shooting when the federal ban was in place.
The NSSF’s own materials show that assault weapons are very profitable for the industry, bolstering not only gun makers, but also the manufacturers of ammunition, magazines, red-dot sights, forward grips, and other tactical accessories.