Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Steve Karnowski,Mark Vancleave and Claudia Lauer

Father of boy killed in Minneapolis church shooting: Remember his love, not the violence

School Shooting Minneapolis - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

As the families of the two Catholic school students fatally shot while celebrating Mass at a Minneapolis church continue to wrestle with their grief, the father of the 8-year-old boy killed tearfully urged the community to remember his son for his love of family, fishing and cooking.

“Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life,” Jesse Merkel said Thursday.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.