MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (CNN) — Before Endre Gunter was taken to emergency surgery to treat a gunshot wound to the stomach, the 13-year-old boy asked a surgeon to pause for a moment.
“Can you say a prayer with me?” he said, according to his aunt, Natalie Davis, who wrote about the exchange on a GoFundMe page to help with the boy’s medical bills.
“The surgeon later told us that not only did Endre survive the surgery, he fought through a terrifying event with courage that inspired the entire medical team,” she said. “That moment of prayer, and Endre’s resilience, will stay with our family forever.”
The young teen is one of 18 people, most of them children, who were wounded Wednesday after a shooter opened fire through the windows of a Minneapolis church, where students like Endre and faculty from Annunciation Catholic School were marking the first week of classes.
Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed. Hours after the Wednesday shooting, they were remembered at multiple vigils in Minneapolis by community members carrying flickering candles in their hands.
“What’s particularly heinous and cowardly about this is these children were slaughtered by a shooter who could not see them,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news briefing Thursday.
The shooter “was standing outside of the building firing through very narrow church windows on the level where they would line up with the pews,” O’Hara added.
As several of those injured remain hospitalized, including one in critical condition, here’s what we know about the victims:
He loved fishing, cooking and sports
Standing outside the church where his son was killed the day before, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel’s father reflected on the moments the family will never get to share with their son.
“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away from us,” said the boy’s father, Jesse Merkel. “We will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming.”
“Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play,” Merkel added. “I hope that in time, our family can find healing.”
The father asked the community to “remember Fletcher for the person he was, and not the act that ended his life.”
Nearby, a memorial of flowers, stuffed animals and signs sat outside the church.
A personalized memorial honoring Merkel features hand-colored drawings, balloons, stuffed animals, and children’s books. The tribute to Fletcher also includes a sign with his name on it and a note signed “mom” that reads “I love you always and forever.”
Her laughter touched everyone who knew her
The second child killed in the shooting Wednesday has been identified as 10-year-old Harper Moyski, according to a statement shared Thursday on her parents’ behalf.
“Harper was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her,” the statement from Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin reads.
“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss,” the statement said. “As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.”
Harper’s family expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and called for change.
“No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain. We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country,” the family added. “Change is possible, and it is necessary—so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies.”
He asked to pray with police and his surgeon
When he was shot twice Wednesday morning, Endre was praying alongside his classmates in the pews of Annunciation Church, where they were attending Mass to celebrate the new school year.
Despite his injuries, “in the face of unimaginable fear and pain, Endre showed strength and faith beyond his years,” his aunt said.
When first responders arrived on scene, a police officer “really helped” Endre by rendering aid, hugging him, reassuring him – and even prayed with him before the boy got into the ambulance, his mother, Danielle Gunter shared in an online statement.
“We feel the pain, the anger, the confusion, and the searing reality that our lives will never be the same,” she wrote. “Yet we still have our child. Unlike others, we are blessed to hold onto him. We will help him rebuild his life, his trust, and his confidence.”
Endre is recovering from surgery, surrounded by loved ones who are dedicated to helping him heal emotionally and physically, Davis said.
She and her brother attended the school
Sophia Forchas’ family was touched by the tragedy in more ways than one.
Sophia, 12, and her younger brother were attending Annunciation Catholic School when the shooting took place, according to a GoFundMe organized for the family.
And their mother, a pediatric critical care nurse, arrived for her shift at Hennepin County Medical Center, where several of the wounded were taken, before even knowing her children’s school was involved.
Sophia was in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery Wednesday, the fundraiser’s organizers wrote. Her younger brother was also at school, but he was unharmed, according to the page.
“Though he was physically unharmed, the trauma of witnessing such a terrifying event — and knowing his sister was critically injured — is something no child should ever experience,” the GoFundMe said.
Father Timothy Sas, a priest at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis, wrote in the parish’s Facebook page that he “spent a good portion of the day with Sophia’s family” at Hennepin County Medical Center.
The girl’s family members have been parishioners of his church for generations, the priest wrote. A few other children from his parish also attend Annunciation Catholic School, he added.
CNN’s David Williams contributed to this report.
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