State Patrol honors 911 dispatchers in Annunciation shooting
The Minnesota State Patrol has awarded Chief’s Commendations to dispatchers Erin Madison and Kate Geissler for coordinating the frantic 911 response to the Aug. 27, 2025 mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School in south Minneapolis. Working out of the Roseville dispatch center, they juggled a flood of calls and multiple radio channels while routing troopers, local police and medics to the scene within minutes in what they describe as an "overwhelming" wall of audio traffic. At an awards banquet in Mendota Heights, Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said their actions during an "extraordinarily difficult" morning "undoubtedly saved lives," underscoring how critical back‑room communications were to stabilizing a scene where children were under fire. Madison and Geissler, both dispatchers since 2012, stressed the teamwork of their colleagues and field responders and used the spotlight to argue that all 911 dispatchers across agencies deserve recognition for life‑saving work done daily. The commendations add new detail to how the response that day actually unfolded behind the radios — a piece that’s often missing when the public only sees squad‑car video and press conferences.
📌 Key Facts
- Two State Patrol dispatchers, Erin Madison and Kate Geissler, received Chief’s Commendation Awards for their roles in the Aug. 27, 2025 Annunciation Church mass‑shooting response.
- They were on duty at the Roseville communications center, handling a surge of 911 calls and radio traffic while routing troopers, police and EMS that reached the church within minutes.
- The awards were presented at the State Patrol’s annual ceremony at Mendakota Country Club, where about 70 troopers, officers and civilians were recognized for 2025 incidents.
📊 Relevant Data
Between 1982 and August 2025, there were 155 mass shootings in the US, with shooters' racial/ethnic distribution as follows: White 84 (54%), Black 26 (17%), Latino 12 (8%), Asian 10 (6%), Native American 3 (2%), Other 5 (3%), Unknown 15 (9%). This broadly mirrors US population proportions (White ~60%, Black ~13%, Hispanic ~19%, Asian ~6%), though Black shooters appear slightly overrepresented and Latino underrepresented on a per capita basis, with no firm conclusions due to unknowns.
Mass shootings by shooter's race U.S. 2025 — Statista
Mass shooters in the US are typically male, with females comprising only about 5-6% of perpetrators since 2006 (33 out of 589 mass shootings).
How Common Are Female School Shooters? — Campus Safety Magazine
At least 410 incidents of attacks on Catholic churches have occurred in the US since May 2020, including arson, vandalism, and statue destruction.
Backgrounder: Attacks on Catholic Churches in the U.S. — USCCB
Attacks on Christian churches in the US totaled 415 in 2024, down from 485 in 2023, but still higher than levels from 2018 to 2022.
Report finds Christian Church attacks down, but recent totals still higher than 2018 to 2022 — The Catholic Standard
Many mass shooters have experienced traumatic childhoods, which is a common factor in their backgrounds.
Key Findings - Comprehensive Mass Shooter Data — The Violence Project
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time