The mother of a 12-year-old girl critically injured in the Minneapolis church shooting this week was on duty in the very hospital unit where her daughter was rushed.
Sophia Forchas is among the 18 people wounded when a gunman opened fire during morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church on Wednesday, August 27.
Authorities say 23-year-old Robin Westman shot through the windows of the church, killing an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old.
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Police confirmed that 15 of those injured were children.
All are expected to survive, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, though three parishioners in their 80s were also struck.
Westman was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, according to investigators.
Sophia and her younger brother both attend the parish school, which caters to students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. A GoFundMe set up to support the family states that Sophia was shot during the rampage and critically hurt.
Her mother, a paediatric critical care nurse, had already started her shift before learning the shooting had taken place at her children’s school and that her daughter was one of the victims.
Sophia underwent emergency surgery and remains in the ICU.
“Her road ahead will be long, uncertain, and incredibly difficult — but she is strong, and she is not alone,” the fundraiser says.
Sophia’s younger brother was also inside during the attack.
“Though he was physically unharmed, the trauma of witnessing such a terrifying event and knowing his sister was critically injured is something no child should ever experience,” the fundraiser continues.
Father Timothy Sas of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church confirmed that Sophia, a seventh grader, is being treated at Hennepin County Medical Centre, People reported.
He said in a statement that he had spent “a good portion of the day” at the hospital with Sophia and her family.
“Sophia was born and raised in our St Mary’s parish, immersed in the life of the church together with her extended family of several generations who are devoted members of our congregation,” Father Sas wrote.
Hennepin Healthcare confirmed Sophia’s mother is employed in the paediatric intensive care unit where her daughter is being cared for.
The GoFundMe lists Sophia’s father, Thomas Forchas, as a co-organiser.
He has not spoken publicly, and the family has asked for privacy. The husband of the fundraiser’s organiser also declined to comment.
By Friday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $450,000 ($A688,000) to support Sophia’s treatment, counselling for her and her brother, and other family expenses.
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