Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara spoke publicly about his department’s response to the tragic August 27, 2025, shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, which claimed the lives of two children and injured 17 others. In an interview with Chuck Wexler, Executive Director of the Police Executive Research Forum, O’Hara discussed how officers handled the incident as well as the challenges still facing the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) five years after the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
Rapid Response Under Pressure
The MPD’s response to the school shooting was nothing short of remarkable. Lieutenant Ryan Kelly, the first officer on scene, arrived in less than four minutes after the initial 911 call.
“A parishioner who was hiding in the back of the church with some of the kids told me that the first sense of safety they felt was when what they called a ‘regular cop’…came in and said, ‘Where’s the shooter?'” O’Hara recounted. From the first officer’s arrival to the last victim being transported by ambulance, the entire emergency response took just 14 minutes, highlighting the department’s training and coordination under pressure.
A Department in Transition
Chief O’Hara’s leads MPD at a time of continuing transition, having lost more than half the workforce after the 2020 murder of Floyd, and subsequent protest and riots.
“This was traditionally a 900-officer department. Five hundred of the officers who were employed here at the start of 2020 have separated from the department,” O’Hara explained, which also created a significant loss of institutional knowledge and experience.
Rebuilding and Recovery
Despite the challenges, including fragile internal morale, O’Hara emphasizes visibility, accountability and leadership, appearing at crime scenes and conducting media briefings in uniform. Encouragingly, community support has been stronger than expected, with residents actively thanking officers during routine stops. While recent violence has been devastating, overall shooting statistics remain lower than previous years.
Perhaps most telling is O’Hara’s reflection on leading a department still defined by tragedy and scrutiny:
“…no matter how negative things are, you cannot allow those forces to get inside your head and dictate your attitude…”
This mindset has guided his approach to rebuilding one of America’s most scrutinized police departments.
As Minneapolis continues to heal and rebuild, Chief O’Hara’s perspective highlights the complex role of policing: from responding to tragic violence to rebuilding community trust and department morale in the aftermath of unprecedented upheaval.
To read Wexler’s full interview, click here.