Minneapolis, MN
Annunciation Catholic Church holds first Mass since deadly Minneapolis school shooting
MINNEAPOLIS — Mass was underway Wednesday morning to mark the beginning of the academic year at Annunciation Catholic School when bullets started to come through the glass.
That the shooting, which killed two students and wounded more than a dozen other people, occurred as Mass was being celebrated is something the Rev. Dennis Zehren is still reflecting on.
“I will be reflecting on that for the rest of my life,” Zehren said in remarks before Saturday’s Mass, the first for the parish since the shooting. “It’s something I will never be able to unsee.”
Zehren, who was at Annunciation Catholic Church during Wednesday’s shooting, recalled rushing toward the sound of the bullets, hopeful that he could help in some way.
“If I could have got between those bullets and the kids,” Zehren said, “that’s what I was hoping to do.”
Students Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed. Fifteen other children, ages 6 to 15, were injured alongside three adult parishioners.
Six people remained hospitalized Friday, including a child in critical condition and an adult in serious condition, according to Hennepin Healthcare. Police have said all of the wounded victims are expected to survive.
The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police have said. Authorities have not identified a clear motive. Joseph Thompson, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota, said the suspect was full of hate and was obsessed with the idea of killing children.
During Saturday’s Mass, which was held at a separate campus building from where the shooting occurred, Zehren wept as he recalled the congregation being told to stay down as rounds rang out from what police have described as a semiautomatic rifle.
“The voices cried out, down, down, get low. Stay down. Stay down. Don’t get up,” he said. “When we were down there, in that low place, Jesus showed us something. He showed us, I am the Lord, even here.”
The congregation, Zehren hoped, put evil in its place.
“Together in that low place, we looked with Jesus into the eyes of the forces of darkness and death and evil,” he said. “And Jesus pointed, and he said, ‘See, can’t you see how weak it is? Can’t you see how desperate it is? Can’t you see that this can never last?’”
Zehren urged parishioners in their darkest hour to welcome the “light of a new day.”
“One little moment of darkness has brought forth a light that is far beyond anything we’ve experienced before,” he said. “I’ve never in all my years experienced such an outpouring of love and light and hope.”
Archbishop Bernard Hebda hoped that returning to Mass after the shooting would help the church’s parishioners and children reclaim a sense of normality.
“It’s that return to those things that are so familiar to us that I think is important,” he said before Saturday’s Mass.
Charlie Lyman, a parishioner whose three children attended Annunciation, said after Mass that the church has been a source of strength for family and the Southwest Minneapolis community for decades and will remain so.
“This place instills in us a sense of great faith to be good to one another, to help each other, to be kind to one another,” said Lyman, whose family helped build the church.
Tess Rada attended the Mass with her 8-year-old daughter, Lila Hostetler, a student at Annunciation, and said it was reassuring to hear Zehren share his feelings.
“Just hearing the emotion in his voice was very — it was nice,” she said. “It was like, you know these emotions aren’t escaping anyone. We all feel it, but we can feel it together.”
Dennis Romero reported from San Diego and Selina Guevara from Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis salon is turning heads by mixing rock and roll with haircuts, creating a one-of-a-kind experience for music lovers.
A salon where music and haircuts go hand in hand
What we know:
HiFi Hair and Records sits on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, marked by a leopard print awning and a vibe that’s all about community through music.
“I tried to model it after a barbershop,” said Jonny Clifford, owner of the salon.
Clifford opened the shop in 2011, inspired by his father who introduced him to music and was battling terminal cancer at the time.
The salon brings together the hum of blow dryers and the sounds of rock and roll, with Clifford saying, “Music is the uniter. Most everyone who is alive today grew up on rock and roll.”
He added a record store the following year, letting customers browse new and used vinyl and CDs while waiting for their appointment.
“I jokingly refer to it as the coolest waiting room in the city,” said Clifford.
The shop is filled with memorabilia from music legends like Elvis, David Bowie and The Monkees. There’s even a wall dedicated to Minnesota’s local music scene.
Clifford said, “We’ve got Bobby V who I think never gets enough credit for his contributions to music in Minnesota.”
Clifford’s journey from punk haircuts to community hub
Why you should care:
Clifford started cutting hair in the early 1980s because he and his friends in southwest Minneapolis couldn’t afford the punk haircuts they wanted.
Now, he not only looks the part—”Ronny Wood, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, I’m always like old Keith Richards or young Keith Richards”—but he helps others feel like rock stars too.
“People are like make me look like a rock star and that is sort of a universal term right. Everyone wants to look like a rock star,” said Clifford.
His goal is simple:
“If I can make a living and raise my family, pay my bills, have a business and be a part of a community, that is important to me. I win. That’s everything,” said Clifford.
He is passionate about giving a boost to local musicians, saying, “I think they need it more. I love Lady Gaga and The Rolling Stones, but they are doing fine. Our local people haven’t made it national yet. They could use a voice. They could use a boost, and they need to be heard.”
The salon’s rhythm is all about joy, music and community, and Clifford plans to keep it going.
“Til I kick over. I’ll probably be back standing behind the chair. And someone will complain I didn’t finish their haircut,” said Clifford.
HiFi Hair and Records continues to be a place where music and style meet, giving Minnesota’s music scene a little extra volume.
EDINA, Minn. (FOX 9) – A deadly shooting in Edina sparked a massive police response and forced a lockdown at nearby businesses at Southdale Mall on Wednesday as police are searching for the suspects.
Deadly Edina shooting
What we know:
Edina police responded around 12:30 p.m. to the report of a shooting along West 66th Street near Southdale Mall.
At the scene, officers found one victim with a gunshot wound. Officers tried to revive the victim but say they ultimately died from their wounds.
Local perspective:
Police say the suspects ran from the scene. As a precaution, they advised nearby businesses to go into lockdown. FOX 9 learned that MHealth Fairview also went into lockdown procedures as a precaution.
Aerial video from the scene showed the investigation appeared to be focused around an apartment building across from the mall. Police say the apartment building is described as a transitional housing.
Avoid the area
Big picture view:
Police are asking the public to avoid the area as the investigation is underway. Officers have blocked off West 66th for the time being.
Police say they are looking for more than one suspect involved in the shooting.
What we don’t know:
Police say some people were taken into custody at the scene but it’s unclear what their role was in relation to the shooting.
Law enforcement near the 3300 block of W. 66th Street in Edina. (FOX 9)
Minneapolis, MN
Ellison, Minneapolis, St. Paul update lawsuit against Operation Metro Surge with new data
(ABC 6 News) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis and Saint Paul updated their lawsuit over Operation Metro Surge with new survey data on economic harm.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego conducted two surveys tied to the amended lawsuit. The lawsuit says the federal operation violated the Constitution and caused lasting economic damage.
The first survey was done between February and March and included nearly 1,400 residents. It found workers lost more than $240 million in wages during the operation.
A separate newly released survey of about 900 businesses found more than $600 million in lost revenue. The updated lawsuit from Keith Ellison and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul adds that new data to its claims.
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