A House of Prayer Turned House of Horror: Senator Zaynab Mohamed’s Urgent Plea After the Minneapolis School Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS — In the quiet of a Southside Minneapolis morning that should have been filled with the gentle hum of returning students and hopeful families, tragedy instead erupted in the stained glass of Annunciation Catholic School. Two young lives were snuffed out. Seventeen more—most of them children—were wounded, their innocent voices forever altered by the rattle of gunfire.

As the sun rose on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, State Senator Zaynab Mohamed faced a moment that no elected official ever prepares for. Her district—one she knows down to its coffee shops, playgrounds, and parish pews—had been ripped apart on the very day students returned to their desks. The reverberations of that sound—of gunfire slicing through sanctuary—echoed not just in buildings, but in her soul.

“This morning, our beautiful Southside was struck with horrifying gun violence at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis,” Mohamed said in a statement released later that day. “Active recovery efforts are continuing for the victims… I am absolutely devastated for our community.” Minnesota Senate DFL

Her voice, calm yet raw, carried both grief and indignation. In interviews, she shared how her heart plummeted the instant the phone call came. Constituents—some with children, many without, but all with ties to the church—flooded her inbox and voicemail, desperate for answers: “Are my children safe? Is this happening again?” Sahan Journal

What should have been a week of possibility—the first day of school, of new friendships, of prayers rising into stained glass—had been stolen.

“I just keep thinking about how this is supposed to be the best week for these kids… for that to have been taken away, and for this event to shape the rest of their lives, I think that’s devastating,” Mohamed told MPR News in raw, tear-choked honesty. Minnesota Reformer

Her words were not meant to soften the blow—but to widen the aperture, forcing Minnesotans and the nation to see what’s happening behind the headlines. This wasn’t just another “thoughts and prayers” moment. This was a call for urgent, resolute action.

“We must all condemn gun violence, and come together to work on real solutions to prevent future tragedy,” she insisted. Minnesota Senate DFL

While this was her community—a place where, as she said, the church was a pillar, a sanctuary, a safe haven—it is also a microcosm of a broken national narrative. They are the streets where prayers are still sacred and schools should still be sanctuaries. Minnesota had already passed red-flag laws and expanded background checks in 2023Minnesota Reformer. Yet on this day, they failed—epically.

Across the nation, officials echoed Mohamed’s anguish. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey declined any platitude. “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now,” he said. “These kids were literally praying.” Minnesota Reformer

In tight solidarity, Senate colleagues from Minneapolis released a joint statement: “No child, teacher, or family should ever face such terror, especially in a place of learning… We… recommit ourselves to solutions to address the epidemic of gun violence and keep our children and communities safe.” Minnesota Senate DFL

Outwardly simple, Senator Mohamed’s words carry weight—the weight of a mother, a daughter, a legislator, and a community member. Her plea is not abstract: It is rooted in cemeteries, hospital wings, vigils, and trenches of trauma.

That evening, the community lit candles in Lynnhurst Park, bringing grief into public space. The vigil was raw, healing, broken. Community leaders used “ideas that violence prevention wasn’t optional—it was essential,” said a coach who rushed from breakfast to check on kids he mentors. Sahan Journal

Across platforms, from ABC to local stations, Mohamed’s voice resonated. “We have to do more about the epidemic that’s taking place… we must do something,” she said.

In the days ahead, a reckoning is brewing. The FBI is treating the incident as both domestic terrorism and possible anti-Catholic hate crime.Wikipedia Minnesota’s gun laws will be scrutinized anew—ghost guns, trigger devices, loopholes.

But for Senator Mohamed, the calculus is simpler: survivors must be comforted. Families need answers. Children need healing. And legislators must — at long last — act.

In her own words, stripped to bare essentials: “I will make myself available to all of them to support them in any way possible.”