Father Recounts Entering Minneapolis Church After Deadly Shooting

Witnessing the Aftermath

• 💔 Pedro Maldonado, a father of two, entered a Minneapolis Catholic church shortly after a horrific shooting that killed two children and wounded 17.
• 🚨 He arrived to hear a final gunshot, believing it was the shooter taking their own life, and entered the building with police as survivors emerged.

Searching for Children Amidst Chaos

• 🩸 Inside, Maldonado saw teachers and children, with blood visible everywhere, as survivors began to get up.
• 🗣️ He screamed for his children, Pilar and Pablo, in Spanish, his first language, hoping they would hear him.
• 😥 Pilar found him, crying, and informed him she couldn't find Pablo, a moment that devastated Maldonado.

The Agonizing Wait and Reunion

• ⏳ After an agonizing 20 minutes, Maldonado found Pablo.
• 🤝 He then helped locate the children of close friends, later discovering one of them was the child who had died.

Community Grief and Reflection

• 💐 A memorial outside the church featured community members leaving toys and flowers, signing crosses for the deceased children.
• ❓ Maldonado expressed disbelief that parents must worry about school or church shootings, questioning how many more children need to die.
• 💪 He stated that while the event is devastating and tearing the community apart, they are stronger than the violence.