Children killed in Annunciation Church shooting remembered as loving and bright

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Reformer) — The two children killed in the mass shooting at Annunciation Church in south Minneapolis on Wednesday are 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, their families shared with the public on Thursday.

Jesse Merkel said his son Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and “any sport he was allowed to play.”

“Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life,” Merkel read from a statement at a news conference outside the church.

He mourned that he would never get to see Fletcher become a man because of the shooting.

“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time our family can find healing.  I pray that the other victim’s family can find some semblance of the same,” Merkel said.

He thanked students and adults in the church for their heroic actions, without whom the tragedy could have been even worse.

Moyski’s parents Michael and Jackie released a statement saying she was a “bright, joyful, and deeply loved” girl “whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone.”

They said they are shattered by unspeakable grief and said they hope her “memory fuels action.”

“We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country,” the family’s statement said. “Change is possible, and it is necessary — so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies.”

Merkel’s family said they have not authorized a GoFundMe or any fundraiser but will establish a scholarship at a later date.

(Story written by Max Nesterak – Minnesota Reformer)