The Annunciation Diaries
Content note: This film contains emotional accounts of a school shooting, gun violence, the deaths of children and the lasting effects of trauma.
On Aug. 27, 2025, a gunman opened fire through the windows of Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis as students gathered for all-school Mass. Eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski died, and dozens more — many of them children — were injured. But the story of Annunciation did not end that morning.
Over the next year, several Annunciation families recorded their lives as they learned to carry what happened: a first grade teacher returned to the classroom where her students needed both joy and room to grieve; children confronted fears that followed them into school, friendships and everyday life; parents mourned a daughter while fighting to protect other families; and a community discovered how healing, advocacy, anger, gratitude and love can coexist.
Through intimate video diaries and the participants’ own voices, “The Annunciation Diaries” reveals what happens after the cameras leave — when surviving becomes returning to school, caring for one another and finding the courage to move forward without leaving Fletcher and Harper behind.
This project can also be viewed as an immersive experience on the Minnesota Star Tribune’s website.