Welcome to Meet the Press Now. I'm Gabe Gutierrez in Washington.

As we continue our breaking news coverage of that deadly mass shooting at a Catholic church full of elementary and middle school students.

As you just saw, we just got an update from Minnesota elected officials, clergy, and law enforcement officers.

Two children were killed in this shooting, and 17 other people, including

14 children and several elderly parishioners were injured. Police say the shooter was armed with a

rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, and that the shooter fired from outside of the church through a window

at the children attending the school mass.

Here's the police chief, and this morning's briefing, and then just moments ago.

This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is

absolutely incomprehensible. Police officers from the Minneapolis Police Department

immediately responded, entered the church and attempted to provide first aid and rescue some of the children that were hiding throughout the building.

While other first responders came, and EMS responded to rush victims to nearby hospitals.

Two young children, ages 8 and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews.

The coward that shot these victims took his own life in the rear of the church. That coward has been

identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, no prior criminal history.

As to the weapons used to perpetrate this horrific attack, there was a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol.

All three had been lawfully purchased by the shooter. At this stage, we believe that the shooter had acted alone.

There is no indication of other suspects directly involved in carrying out this attack.

And as students were being reunited with their families after the shooting, a fifth grader approached

reporters with his parents

and grandparents. He described in harrowing detail the moment the shots rang out and how his

friend shielded him from the bullets. We want to warn you that this child's firsthand account

...