Girl Shot in Head During Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting Is Making 'Miraculous' Recovery, Family Says By Janelle Griffith

A seventh-grade girl who has been hospitalized since she was shot in the head during Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis last month has made what her family describes as “miraculous” progress and will be transferred this week to an inpatient rehabilitation program.

Sophia Forchas was shot on Aug. 27 when an assailant armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a handgun opened fire through the windows of the church during morning Mass. The attack killed two children — 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski — and injured 21 other people, including 18 children. The assailant died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Sophia was shot in the left temporal lobe and the bullet remained lodged in her right occipital lobe, Dr. Walt Galicich, chief of neurosurgery at Hennepin Healthcare, previously said.

“Sophia surviving this horrific attack is a miracle,” her family said in a statement Monday, Sept. 22, released through Hennepin Healthcare. “Her healing progress is nothing short of miraculous; an undeniable testament to the mercy and intervention of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.  

The family said “Sophia continues to make steady progress, showing promising signs of neurological recovery.” They added that Sophia “still has a long journey ahead, filled with extensive therapy.”

She will be transferred this week from an acute care unit at Hennepin County Medical Center to an inpatient rehabilitation program.

Related Stories

Girl, 12, Hurt in Minneapolis School Shooting Had a Side of Her Skull Removed After Going to Hospital Where Mom Works

Nurse Mom Was Working in ICU When Her Critically Wounded Daughter Arrived After Minneapolis School Shooting

In a statement released Sept. 12, the family said doctors had initially warned them “she was on the brink of death.” She had to have one side of her skull removed as part of her treatment.

Sophia and her younger brother were students at Annunciation Catholic School. Her brother was inside the school during the shooting but was not physically injured, the family has said.

Hennepin Healthcare previously told PEOPLE that Sophia’s mother is an employee in the pediatric intensive care unit where she was in critical condition. According to a GoFundMe launched to cover expenses for Sophia’s medical care and recovery and trauma counseling for her and her brother, their mother is a pediatric critical care nurse and had arrived to work the day of the attack before knowing that her daughter was among those wounded.

The GoFundMe has raised more than $1 million.