Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, attended a mass with their classmates when, on August 27, a woman opened fire in her church in her Minneapolisto the north of the United States. Despite the rescue intervention, the two children died instantly.
According to the first observations, the attacker took several dozen bullets through the windows, before committing suicide. “They were pleasant, but unfortunately, they were the first to be touched. They had no time to react,” said a student, Grayson Sign, the Voix Broken, in CNN.
If the mobile of the attack remains to be determined, the author was “obsessed” by the idea of ”killing children,” US authorities who continue to investigate this new murder in the United States concluded Thursday. According to the latest evaluation, in addition to the death of Fletcher and Harper, 18 people were injured, including 15 children from 6 to 15 years.
“In the process of becoming a wonderful young man”
The day after the murder, Fletcher’s father, Jesse Merkel, spoke during a press conference held in front of his son’s school. “Yesterday, a coward decided to get our son Fletcher, 8 years old from us. Due to his actions, we can never hold him in our arms, talk to him, play with him and see the wonderful young woman where he was about to become,” he said.
Fletcher was the penultimate of brothers of four children. He loved fishing, cinema and especially spending time with his friends and family. His two older and sister brother attended the Mass on Wednesday, but they were not injured during the shooting.
“Even if the void in our hearts and our lives will never be filled, I hope that over time, our family can find healing,” Jesse Merkel sighed.
A “brilliant” child
In a statement, Harper’s family also reacted, stating that it was “destroyed” for the loss of his “beloved daughter.”
“We are the other way around to know that our beloved daughter, Harper Moyski, was tragically murdered during the recent shooting in her school. Harper was a brilliant, cheerful and deeply dear child, whose laughter, kindness and good humor touched all who met her,” the parents wrote Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin.
The “broken heart,” they said they had a particular thought for their second child, “Harper’s sister, who loved her older sister and cries an unimaginable loss.” “As a family, we are destroyed and words cannot express the intensity of our pain,” they said.
A call to strong measures
The murderous shooting of the Church in Minneapolis caused considerable emotion in the country. The two families of the victims expressed their gratitude for first aid and school staff. “Without these people and their altruism, this tragedy could have been much older. I am grateful to them,” said Jesse Merkel.
This year, at least 287 mass murders, defined as killing at least four or injured, took place in the United States, according to the NGO Armed Archive. In their press release, Harper’s parents asked the United States government to be strong measures to combat “firearms violence.”
“No family should have to endure that pain. We urge our leaders and communities to take concrete measures to combat violence by firearm and the mental health crisis in this country. The change is possible and necessary, so Harper’s story is not added to a long series of tragedies,” they said.
The author of The Attack, Robin Westman, a 23 -year -old transgender woman, had attended the Minneapolis school as a student. In a manuscript manifesto, he described herself as “depressive” and “suicidal”, saying that wanting “to escape the invoices, jobs in poor condition, people in poor condition and the injustice of America.” During the pages, he also expressed his hatred against the “Black,” Mexican “,” Christian “and” Jewish, “said Minnesota state prosecutor Joe Thompson, during a press release on Wednesday.
The FBI opened an investigation for the “crime motivated by the hatred aimed at Catholics.” As a sign of grieving, President Donald Trump announced that American flags will remain in a mast medium until August 31.
Source: BFM TV
