12-year-old Minneapolis church shooting survivor makes miraculous progress, moving to rehabilitation

A 12-year-old girl wounded in the deadly attack at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis is making what her family calls miraculous progress and will move from acute care to inpatient rehabilitation this week, according to an update released Monday by Hennepin Healthcare, where she is receiving care.

Sophia Forchas, the most seriously injured child survivor among those wounded when a shooter opened fire during the first Mass of the new school year, underwent emergency surgery after a bullet struck her head and lodged in her brain. Doctors removed the left half of her skull to relieve pressure and repair a damaged blood vessel, according to updates from her neurosurgical team. The shooter died by suicide, and two students were killed while 21 others were wounded.

Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Walt Galicich, said the damage was severe, with swelling and injury around a major blood vessel, but Sophia has shown signs of neurological recovery in the weeks since the attack. While doctors remain cautiously optimistic, her family said the child is strong, brave, and unwavering as she begins a long road of rehabilitation that will require extensive therapy across multiple disciplines.

Sophia and her classmates at Annunciation Catholic School were celebrating the start of the new school year when gunfire shattered the morning quiet. The family statement released through Hennepin Healthcare thanked well-wishers and asked for continued prayers as Sophia works toward recovery. It emphasized that her progress has surprised medical staff and provided a measure of hope to the hospital staff and the community.

Sophia will transition to inpatient rehabilitation this week, a step described by her family as essential for intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Medical teams have stressed that recovery from such brain injuries can be lengthy and uncertain, and they asked the public to remain patient and supportive during the process.

Authorities have not released new details about the investigation, but hospital officials and law enforcement have said the attack involved gunfire through a window, killing two students and wounding others before the gunman died by suicide. The church and school have been cooperating with investigators as the community processes the event and supports the victims’ families.