MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A funeral was held Sunday for an 8-year-old boy with an infectious smile and adventurous spirit who was one of two schoolchildren killed when a mass shooter opened fire on a Minneapolis Catholic church during Mass.
Hundreds of mourners gathered for the service of Fletcher Merkel, wearing bright colors instead of somber black at the request of his family. He had boundless energy and exuded generosity, handing out flowers and trading cards just because, said his aunt, Erin Shermak, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
“His gift to us was the chance to know him and love him,” she said.
The Aug. 27 shooting injured at least 21 others, most of them students at Annunciation Catholic School. Officials have identified the shooter as Robin Westman, 23, a former student armed with a rifle, pistol and shotgun who allegedly fired more than a hundred rounds through the windows of the church just before 8:30 a.m. Westman was found dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot.
A service for Harper Moyski, the 10-year-old girl who was also killed in the shooting, will be held Sept. 14 in Minneapolis. An obituary described the girl as “pure magic,” a dog lover who dreamed of becoming a veterinarian one day.
Speakers at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church on Sunday choked back tears to smile and laugh in honor of Fletcher’s brief life. They held funeral programs featuring his portrait, with the words: “Forever loved, child of God.”
Mourners talked about his love of fishing, something he often did with his dad Jesse, and how he made friends wherever he went.
Fletcher was “always in motion,” a child who loved playing sports and trying out new foods, like pickled herring, according to his obituary.
He was recently and briefly on-air at a local radio station when his mother Mollie called in so Fletcher and other children could give their best impression of fireworks for a contest.
Besides his parents, he leaves behind two brothers and a sister and his dog, Clementine.
Mourners included Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen.
The hearse for the funeral of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who died in a school church shooting, arrives at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, in Minneapolis, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)
The motorcade departs after the funeral for 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who was killed in a church school shooting, at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)
Attendees are greeted by support dogs outside of Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church for the funeral of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who was killed in a school church shooting, in Minneapolis, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)
PARIS (AP) — Ukraine on Monday signed a letter of intent to buy up to 100 Rafale warplanes from France, the Ukrainian Embassy and the French president’s office said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron signed the document stating that Ukraine is considering the possibility of buying French defense equipment, including Rafale jet fighters, Macron’s office said. It did not provide further details.
Zelenskyy was on his ninth visit to Paris since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. His talks are meant to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses as the country enters another winter under Russian bombardment of its energy infrastructure and other targets.
On Monday morning, Macron and Zelenskyy visited an air base in the Paris outskirts, before heading to the headquarters of a multinational force, dubbed the “coalition of the willing,” that France and Britain have been preparing with more than 30 other nations to police an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.
French officials say the force could be deployed immediately after a ceasefire and would be stationed away from the front lines in an effort to help dissuade renewed Russian attacks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far rejected calls for a ceasefire as his troops make creeping gains on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy wrote on X on Sunday that he looked forward to a “historic deal with France in Paris to strengthen our combat aviation and air defense." He made a stop to Greece on his way to France to sign an agreement to supply Ukraine with U.S. liquefied natural gas.
Last month, Ukraine and Sweden signed an agreement exploring the possibility of Ukraine buying up to 150 Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets over the next decade or more. Ukraine has already received American-made F-16s and French Mirages.
France is among major suppliers of defense assistance to Ukraine, including air defense systems and fighter jets.
The chief of the French defense staff, Air Force Gen. Fabien Mandon, this month told French senators that Ukraine needs immediate additional air defenses because Russia is on average targeting the country with about 1,700 drones per week and also hitting it with missiles.
He said that European-made SAMP/T ground-to-air systems that France provided are proving more effective than U.S.-made Patriot batteries against hard-to-hit Russian missiles.
“We helped Ukraine by deploying missile and drone interception systems called the SAMP/T system. The Russians adapted the flight profiles of their most advanced missiles because they realized they were being intercepted by Ukrainian defenses. Today, the Patriot system is struggling to intercept them, but the SAMP/T is intercepting them,” Mandon said.
Associated Press writer John Leicester contributed to the report.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 before a joint press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, visit the offices of the future international force known as the coalition of the willing, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Mont Valerien in Suresnes, outside Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands after signing an agreement Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sign an agreement Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hug after signing an agreement Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
A Rafale jet fighter is seen before the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
A Rafale jet fighter, drones and ammunitions are seen before the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
A Rafale jet fighter is seen before the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
