Minneapolis nurse’s worst nightmare: ICU mom discovers her own daughter among wounded children in church shooting

What began as an ordinary morning shift for Minneapolis pediatric nurse Amy Forchas turned into every parent’s worst nightmare when she realized her hospital was treating victims from a mass shooting at her own children’s school.

Mother on the front lines

Amy had rushed to Hennepin Healthcare early Wednesday as ambulances began arriving from Annunciation Catholic School and Church, where a gunman barricaded the doors before firing 50 to 100 shots through the church’s stained-glass windows. Among the critically injured was her 12-year-old daughter, Sophia, who was rushed into emergency surgery as her mother worked nearby in the ICU.

Her mother arrived at work to help during the tragedy, before knowing it was her children’s school that was attacked, and that her daughter was critically injured,” a family friend wrote in a fundraiser.

Sophia’s road to recovery will be long and uncertain, loved ones said, but the family is clinging to hope. Her younger brother was also inside the church during the shooting. Though physically unharmed, he now faces the trauma of having witnessed the attack and knowing his sister nearly didn’t survive.

Prayers across the world

Father Timothy Sas of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, where the Forchas family are lifelong parishioners, urged prayers for the girl’s recovery.

Sophia was born and raised in our parish, immersed in the life of the Church together with her extended family of several generations,” he wrote. “Her family and I are truly thankful for the immediate embrace of prayers coming from literally all parts of the world.”

Tragedy at Annunciation

The shooting unfolded around 8:30 a.m. as children gathered for a back-to-school Mass. Police identified the shooter as Robin Westman, a 23-year-old who changed his name from Robert in 2019, and said he was armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol.

Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed in their pews. At least 17 others were wounded, including 14 children and three elderly parishioners. Emergency dispatch audio captured responders urgently calling for “all the gauze you have” as they rushed to treat victims.