'It was right beside me...': Student, 10, says friend lies on him to save him during Minnesota school shooting

In the haunting mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, two kids were killed and dozens were injured. Meanwhile, a 10-year-old shared his side of the story where his friend saved him by lying over him during the shooting. “It was like right beside me. I was like two seats away from the stained-glass windows, so they were like the shots were like right next to me,” Weston Halsne, 10, said.

At first, the fifth grader said he thought he had just heard something, but started to run when he heard the gunshots again.

“The first one, I was like, ‘What is that?’ I thought it was just something, and then when I heard it again, I just ran on the pew, and then I covered my head. My friend Victor, like saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit,” the kid said.

There was a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, which had all been lawfully purchased by the shooter, the Minnesota police chief said. He added that it is believed the shooter acted alone. Moreover, the police have claimed that the suspect had a manifesto that he was planning to release on YouTube. There is no update to share on a motive at this time, O’Hara, Minneapolis police chief, said, adding that investigators have search warrants for three locations.

O’Hara said it “appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings”.

He added that the content has now been taken down with the assistance of the FBI.

'A deliberate act of violence against innocent children': Police

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that the shooting was a deliberate act of violence.

“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshiping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” he said.

'Everyone of us needs to be wrapping our arms around these families'

The Minneapolis mayor addressed the community, saying, “There are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragedy or the absolute pain of this situation.”

“Every one of us needs to be wrapping our arms around these families, giving them every ounce that we can muster,” he added.