JD and Usha Vance to visit Minneapolis following Catholic school shooting

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, will visit Minneapolis Sept. 3 to pay their respects to the victims of the deadly Aug. 27 mass shooting at a Catholic school liturgy, his office said.

The vice president and the second lady "will hold a series of private meetings to convey condolences to the families of those affected by the tragedy," Vance's office said. The visit will take place one week after the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.

Authorities said the suspected gunman, Robin (formerly known as Robert) Westman, killed Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, and wounded 21 others before taking his own life.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Pope Leo XIV expressed condolences for the victims, and also prayed for an end to the “pandemic” of gun violence.

Vance is just the second Catholic to hold the office of vice president in U.S. history.