A vibrant memorial of flowers and tributes surrounds a sign for Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Kerem Yucel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
Kimberly Mason, a local art teacher who lives in the neighborhood, reacts at a memorial outside Annunciation Catholic Church after Wednesday’s shooting, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Girl shot in the head in Minneapolis church attack is making ‘miraculous’ progress, family says
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) 鈥 A 12-year-old girl shot in the head during the deadly attack at a Catholic church in Minneapolis less than a month ago is making 鈥渕iraculous鈥 progress, her family said in a statement.
A vibrant memorial of flowers and tributes surrounds a sign for Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Kerem Yucel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) 鈥 A 12-year-old girl shot in the head during the deadly attack at a Catholic church in Minneapolis less than a month ago is making 鈥渕iraculous鈥 progress, her family said in a statement.
Sophia Forchas, who was the most seriously wounded child among those who at the , will move this week from acute care to an inpatient rehabilitation program, her family said.
While her medical team remains cautiously optimistic, the family said Sophia shows signs of neurological recovery just weeks after doctors were .
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鈥淪ophia is strong, brave, and unwavering in her fight toward healing. We ask that you continue to pray for her as she walks this road to recovery. It is by God鈥檚 will that she has come this far,鈥 her family said in the statement released Monday by Hennepin Healthcare, where she is undergoing care.
Sophia and her classmates at Annunciation Catholic School were of the new school year when a shooter opened fire through a window, killing two students and wounding 21 people. The shooter died by suicide, police said.
Sophia鈥檚 mother, a nurse at Hennepin Healthcare, did not know she had been shot until after she arrived at work to help treat the shooting victims.
Sophia underwent emergency surgery. Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Walt Galicich, said a bullet lodged in her brain, causing severe damage, including to a major blood vessel. Surgeons had to remove the left half of her skull to relieve the pressure inside her head.
鈥淭hough she still has a long journey ahead, filled with extensive therapy, her resilience continues to inspire hope at every step,鈥 her family said.
