The gunman who opened fire at a Minneapolis Catholic School, killing two children, has been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman.
Westman, who was previously known as Robert, fired through stained glass windows at students sitting in the pews inside Annunciation Catholic School’s church at around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. After shooting, he turned the gun on himself. The school had just started its new academic year, and students were attending morning mass when the attack happened.
The shooter grew up in Richfield and changed his name to Robin in 2020, when he was 17. His mother had been an employee at the school before retiring in 2021. Authorities said he had no extensive criminal record, making the attack even more shocking to the community.
Two children, aged 8 and 10, died in the attack. At least 17 others were injured, including 14 children and three adults. Families and school officials described the scene as chaotic and terrifying, with students running and hiding as the gunfire erupted.
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Local news outlet KSTP first confirmed the shooter’s identity. Police are still investigating his motive. They are also examining his past and online activity to understand what led him to commit such a horrific act.
Hours before the shooting, a YouTube account believed to belong to Westman posted a disturbing manifesto in a 10-minute video. It showed pages of handwritten notes addressed to family and friends, a stash of ammunition, and personal reflections. In the letter, Westman wrote that he believed he had cancer caused by vaping: “I think I am dying of cancer. It’s a tragic end as it’s entirely self-inflicted. I did this to myself as I cannot control myself and have been destroying my body through vaping and other means.”
He added, “Unfortunately, due to my depression, anger, and twisted mind, I want to fulfill a final act that has been in the back of my head for years.” He signed the note as “Robin M Westman, 2002–2025,” along with a bird drawing.
The video also showed gun cartridges with white writing on them. Some had the names of previous school shooters, including “Lanza” for Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook shooter. Some magazines were marked with disturbing messages such as “for the children” and “kill Donald Trump,” highlighting a troubling and politically charged mindset. Large pieces of wood were marked “No escape.” Police said at least two church doors had been blocked with two-by-fours, suggesting Westman wanted to trap people inside.
Westman fired “50 to 100 shots” during the attack, a heartbroken parent told The Star Tribune. It remains unclear if he was fired from inside the church or outside before entering.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara described the attack as “a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.”
Recent social media posts from the school show students smiling at back-to-school events, playing, and holding up summer art projects. The Catholic school offers education from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
Senator Amy Klobuchar told MSNBC that a 7-year-old student watched the gunman shoot her friends: “These kids are doing an all-school Mass and had to watch several of her friends get shot — one in the back, one in the neck. And they all got down under the pews.”
Featured image via X screengrab
