Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday visited Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis to honour victims of final week’s mass capturing that left two youngsters useless and 21 others injured. The solemn go to, nevertheless, was marked by protests throughout the road, the place demonstrators waved delight flags and heckled him with chants of “do higher” and “you’re a coward.”Vance, accompanied by his spouse Usha, paused briefly at a statue of the Virgin Mary earlier than coming into the church, the place he met households of victims. He later informed reporters the expertise was “heartbreaking but additionally gratifying,” noting that grieving mother and father shared tales of their youngsters’s lives, hopes, and desires.“I’ve by no means had a day that can stick with me like this one,” Vance stated. “We must always speak much less in regards to the shooter and extra about these children. Their lives had been minimize quick, and that ought to be the main focus.”Police recognized the gunman as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who opened fireplace throughout a college Mass with three legally bought firearms. Courtroom data present Westman, born Robert, modified names in 2019. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the shooter’s id.Protesters exterior the church carried indicators studying “defend children not weapons,” underscoring frustrations over gun violence. Conservative columnist Dustin Grage criticised the demonstration on-line, calling it “tone-deaf.”Vance, a practising Catholic, urged prayers for these nonetheless hospitalised and pledged to push for insurance policies that tackle the foundation causes of such assaults. “One of many methods I’ll honour these mother and father is by being a greater dad,” he stated. “There are households who won’t ever once more get that probability.”
