MINNEAPOLIS — A 9-year-old girl who survived a shooting at her church in Minneapolis described the terrifying moments when gunfire erupted during a Mass on Wednesday morning.
June Holine, a fourth grader, was sitting in the back of the church with her teacher, classmates and friends when the shooting began during the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School, CBS News reported.
"I heard the noise and I kind of got scared at first. It was like a big firework that was like super duper, duper, like close," June recalled. "Like if like somebody did a firework that didn't launch off, like in your ear, that's kind of how loud."
When asked what scared her most, June replied with remarkable composure.
"I was scared about if I would get hurt. I was worried about like everybody getting hurt and injured," she said.
June described how her teacher acted quickly when the shooting started.
"My teacher just jumped on the floor. And she kind of motioned for me to get down," June said. "And so me and my buddy just followed her. And then she kind of grabbed my hand a little bit."
The young girl said holding her friend's hand made her feel "a little bit safer" during the frightening ordeal.
June and others eventually made it to a nearby Starbucks where staff helped them contact their parents.
Anders Holine, June's father, sat beside his daughter during the interview, visibly emotional as he listened to her account.
"It's just very surreal," Anders said. "It's hard to believe that it was, you know, that we're in reality right now. The feeling that I had searching was easily the worst feeling I've ever felt. I just needed to find you. So I felt so much relief when I did."
Both June and her younger sister, Olive, were at the church during the shooting. While they escaped physical injury, the emotional impact remains.
When asked what message she would share with other children who might be afraid to go to school after such an incident, June offered wisdom beyond her years.
"I'd probably tell them that it's OK to be afraid a little bit, but it's actually kind of rare to what happened. So you don't have to be that worried," June said.
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