Police have identified 23-year-old Robin Westman as the suspected gunman in the Minneapolis school shooting.
Just before the attack, Westman reportedly posted a disturbing video showing off weapons while laughing hysterically. One of the magazines had chilling words scrawled across it: ”For the children.”
The first week of school in Minneapolis has been shattered by tragedy after a gunman opened fire outside Annunciation Catholic Church on Wednesday, killing two children and injuring 17 others.
Robin Westman fired into the building through stained-glass windows, blasting past doors that had been reinforced from the outside with 2-by-4 wooden planks.
The City of Minneapolis confirmed there was an “active police situation,” but reassured residents that there was “no active threat to the community at this time.” Officials added: “The gunman is contained.”
A stockpile of firearms
Authorities identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who had attended the school for at least a year and was seen there in the days leading up to the school year. Westman’s mother had previously worked at the school until her retirement in 2021.
Court documents show that Westman, then 17, filed to change their name in 2020, identifying “as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
Only hours before the horrific attack, 23-year-old Westman uploaded a string of disturbing videos to YouTube — including what appeared to be a manifesto, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara revealed during a press conference.
In the chilling clips, Westman displayed a stockpile of firearms, ammunition, and what appeared to be a handwritten four-page manifesto directed at family and friends. The letter opened with the words:
“I don’t expect forgiveness … I do apologize for the effects my actions will have on your lives.” It went on to say: “I was corrupted by this world and have learned to hate what life is.”
Westman’s twisted writings also revealed deliberations about committing violence against President Trump and Jewish people
He also wrote: “I don’t want to dress girly all the time but I guess sometimes I really like it. I know I am not a woman but I definitely don’t feel like a man.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed during a press conference that Westman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He added that Westman had no criminal history, and investigators are still working to determine a motive.
Former classmate speaks out
5 Investigates spoke with Josefina Sanchez, a former classmate of Westman, who recalled that Westman had few friends and displayed some unusual fixations.
Sanchez said she first knew Robin as Robert while they were in grade school together in St. Paul. Looking back now, she admits there were warning signs. “I knew that something was off, but I was a kid; how was I to know what to do?” she said.
By seventh grade, Sanchez had formed a brief friendship with Robert, but she said it ended quickly after troubling behavior. “When you see something erratic, it doesn’t leave your mind… so he would put up his hand and praise Hitler,” Sanchez recalled.
Trump’s words
FBI Director Kash Patel called the tragedy an act of hate. “The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics,” Patel wrote on Twitter. He confirmed that the victims included “an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old” who were pronounced dead at the scene, while “14 children and 3 adults were injured.”
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he had been “fully briefed” on the attack, writing: “The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also released a statement, writing on Twitter: “I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.”
It’s horrifying that something like this could happen, and targeting children is nothing short of cowardly. Violence must never win, and our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragedy.
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