10-year-old injured in Minneapolis Catholic school shooting has surgery to remove bullet shrapnel

A child injured in last month's shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis underwent surgery Wednesday to remove shrapnel from their neck.

Surgeons removed a bullet fragment from 10-year-old Weston Halsne's neck, which was embedded there after it was shot through nearby windows into the church.

Halsne was just feet from the windows when the shooting started. He told reporters the day of the shooting a friend shielded him from more gunfire.

“My friend Victor, like, saved me, though, because he laid on top of me,” Halsne said. “He’s really brave, and I hope he’s good in the hospital.”

Halsne didn't initially believe he was seriously injured in the aftermath of the shooting. But in a message on a fundraising page for Halsne's surgery, family members said doctors later discovered his injuries included shrapnel that had become lodged in his neck, near the carotid artery.

The surgery on Wednesday went well, and Weston is expected to fully recover, the Halsne family said in a statement.

"Our family would like to thank the community for all the prayers and outpouring of support. We will not be releasing any further information and request privacy as we try to begin to heal.”

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The shooting on August 27 killed two children and injured 17 others, including Halsne.

Lawmakers, city officials and family members of those killed in the shooting have called for more action to control gun violence and support mental health care.

The parents of Harper Moyski, a 10-year-old girl killed in the shooting, gave a statement days after the shooting.

“No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain,” they wrote. “We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.”