Survivor of Annunciation Catholic Church shooting released from hospital

A 12-year-old girl who was shot in the head during the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis in August has been released from the hospital, with her parents attributing her recovery to the “miraculous power of prayer.”

Sophia Forchas was left fighting for her life after a gunman opened fire during the deadly August 27 attack. She was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition and underwent emergency surgery, during which doctors removed part of her skull to relieve swelling. She was then placed in a medically induced coma, according to FOX 9.

On Thursday, a crowd of supporters lined the sidewalk in front of Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) with signs to salute Forchas, who had been treated at HCMC and recently underwent rehabilitation at Gillette Children’s Hospital.

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Sophia Forchas, survivor of the mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School, and her father, Tom Forchas, right, are greeted by well-wishers outside Hennepin County Medical Center Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (The Catholic Spirit/Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis via AP)

Sophia’s parents said her release marked “one of the most extraordinary days of our lives.”

“Our beloved daughter, Sophia, is coming home!!” they wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for his recovery. The page has generated nearly $1.2 million in donations.

“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the remarkable medical professionals whose skill, compassion and unwavering dedication have brought us to this moment,” his parents wrote.

They thanked the doctors and rehabilitation teams at HCMC and Gillette Children’s Hospital and said Sophia now walks, swims and “even dribbles a basketball.”

Sophia Forchas, center, poses with members of her care and rehabilitation team outside an ambulance after being released from Gillette Children’s Hospital Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minnesota. (GoFundMe)

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“Every step she takes is a living testimony to God’s boundless grace and the miraculous power of prayer,” the couple said.

The Forchas family also offered prayers for those killed and injured in the Aug. 27 shooting, writing, “May their memory be eternal.”

Two children, Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, were killed in the mass shooting and 18 people, including 15 children, were injured.

Sophia’s mother is a pediatric intensive care nurse who was working at Hennepin Healthcare when she discovered her daughter was among the injured, according to the Associated Press.

Forchas’ brother was also inside the school during the shooting but was not injured, his parents said.

Sophia Forchas, right, was shot in the head during the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Forchas family)

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The suspected shooter, Robin Westman, formerly Robert Westman, opened fire from outside the school around 10 a.m., moments after students had gathered for mass, and many children were in the pews.

The horror unfolded for about 10 minutes before Westman, who was transgender, killed himself with his own gun, police said.