Annunciation shooting survivor honored for heroic act
Annunciation Catholic School student Victor Greenawalt has been named the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s 2026 Young Hero Honoree for shielding a classmate during the August 27, 2025 mass shooting at the south Minneapolis church and school. Then 10 years old, Greenawalt was wounded by gunfire as he lay on top of his friend, Weston Halsne, an act the Society says "directly" saved the boy’s life and became "a powerful symbol of hope" for a community in crisis. He is one of just six people nationwide receiving a 2026 Citizen Honor Award, presented by the organization’s 64 living Medal of Honor recipients. The award will be given during a Citizen Honors event in Virginia, following a wreath‑laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The recognition keeps the Annunciation shooting — in which a heavily armed attacker fired more than 100 rounds through church windows at children during Mass before dying by suicide outside — squarely in the national spotlight as Minnesota lawmakers debate gun and school‑safety bills citing the attack.
📌 Key Facts
- Student: 10‑year‑old Annunciation student Victor Greenawalt protected classmate Weston Halsne by covering him with his body during the Aug. 27, 2025 mass shooting and was himself injured.
- Award: Greenawalt is the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s 2026 Young Hero Honoree, one of only six Citizen Honor Award recipients nationwide each year.
- Incident context: The shooter, armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, fired more than 100 rounds through stained‑glass windows at children in the pews before dying by suicide in the church parking lot.
📊 Relevant Data
The perpetrator of the Annunciation Church and School shooting on August 27, 2025, was 23-year-old Robin Westman, a transgender woman who had previously attended the school seven years prior and changed her name from Robert to Robin in 2019.
Robin Westman expressed fascination with mass killings, had been suspended as a teenager for discussing school shootings, and left a journal and manifesto detailing warning signs and hate toward the school.
Journal of Minneapolis shooter Robin Westman details warning signs — CNN
Between August 1982 and March 2026, 153 mass shootings in the US were carried out by male shooters, compared to only 5 by female shooters, indicating males are vastly overrepresented as perpetrators.
Mass shootings by shooter's gender U.S. 2026 — Statista
Since January 2013, there have been five mass shootings committed by transgender or nonbinary individuals according to the Gun Violence Archive, out of thousands of mass shooting incidents, representing a small fraction despite claims of overrepresentation.
Few Mass Shooters Have Been Transgender — FactCheck.org
Excluding gang violence, Black and White males have the highest per capita rates of mass shootings among demographic groups in the US from 1966 to 2024, with Whites at 0.000014% and Blacks at 0.000022% of their respective populations.
Mass Shooters by Race: Demographics of Assailants 1966-2024 — Ammo.com
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