More than 1,400 people joined together in southwest Minneapolis for the funeral of Annunciation Catholic School student Fletcher Merkel on Sunday afternoon.
Family, friends and members of the Annunciation community were joined by state leaders including Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar at a packed Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, with mourners dressed in bright clothing – at the family’s request – to say goodbye to Fletcher.
Fletcher was among dozens observing Mass at Annunciation Church near Lyndale Avenue South and West 54th Street when a shooter opened fire on the morning of Wednesday, August 27, an attack that also claimed the life of 10-year-old Harper Moyski.
The obituary shared by Fletcher’s parents, Jesse and Mollie, describe an eight-year-old with an infectious smile, boundless creativity, endless motion, a curiosity about animals – particularly fish, and with dreams of one day being an NFL player…