Minneapolis City Council honors Fletcher Merkel, killed in Annunciation shooting

The Minneapolis City Council on Thursday presented family of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who was killed in a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in August, with a resolution honoring his life.

Council member Linea Palmisano gave the declaration to the family and applauded Minneapolis police for their heroic acts on the day that two children were killed and 21 others were injured. 

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, Mayor Jacob Frey, Annunciation Catholic School Principal Matt DeBoer and Merkel's former first-grade teacher, Sara Slack, attended the meeting.

"I will forever miss him and I'm heartbroken that we don't get to see him grow," said Slack. "But through his light and love and every gift that he gave to us, we get to grow stronger and he'll be missed and cherished. And he'll have an imprint on my heart always."

The resolution says that "Fletcher was a little boy, through and through, who loved sports, the outdoors, adventure, making things of all varieties, and trying anything new."

He was an avid Green Bay Packers fan and liked to explore Grass Lake with his father, the declaration says. There, he "chased butterflies, captured frogs, and successfully caught a fish even though everyone told him there weren't any fish in Grass Lake."

"The City of Minneapolis is forever changed because of Fletcher, and he remains a guiding light to us in how we approach our own lives and maintain a healthy passion for exploring," the resolution reads.

After the presentation, attendees sang a portion of "This Little Light of Mine," led by DeBoer.

"Fletcher was the glue of the third-grade boys," DeBoer said. "It's a class of 30 girls and 10 boys. Fletcher was the referee."

The council passed a resolution on Nov. 20 to honor 10-year-old Harper Moyski, who was also killed in the Annunciation shooting. Her family says she was a kind and confident kid who taught them to "show up exactly as you are."