Robin Westman: Minneapolis school shooting gunman identified, two killed, 17 injured at church

A black-clad gunman identified by the FBI as Robin Westman has killed two children and wounded 17 others when he opened fire on students attending Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school, US local authorities say.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has described the horrific event that unfolded at Annunciation Catholic School during the first week of the school year as students were met with “evil and horror and death.”

The Governor expressed profound sorrow, saying, “There shouldn’t be words for these types of incidents, because they should not happen, and there’s no words that are going to ease the pain of the families today.”

The assailant, a man in his early 20s, fired dozens of rounds through the church windows and then took his own life, officials said.

He was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, they said.

“This was 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,” Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara told reporters.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the agency is investigating the shooting as “an act of domestic terrorism and hate crimes targeting Catholics.”

He confirmed that the two children who died were aged eight and 10, and another 14 children and three adults were injured. “The FBI will continue to provide updates on our ongoing investigation with the public as we are able,” Mr Patel said in a post on X.

He also identified the shooter as Robin Westman.

The shooting occurred two days after school started at Annunciation Catholic School, a private primary school with about 390 students connected to a Roman Catholic church in a residential area in the southeast part of Minnesota’s largest city.

Local TV showed parents ducking under yellow police crime tape and leading students out of the school.

Officials said the shooter did not have an extensive criminal history.

Law enforcement was investigating multiple online videos to determine if they were posted by the shooter, according to two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Local hospitals said they were treating 15 children and two adults, with many suffering gunshot wounds.

“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a news conference, visibly angry.

US President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the shooting and said the FBI was on the scene.

“Please join me in praying for everyone involved!” he said on social media.

The US Department of Homeland Security is in touch with local authorities and monitoring the situation, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on social media.

There have been three other shootings in the midwestern city since Tuesday afternoon, including one at a Jesuit high school, that have together left three people dead and seven wounded, according to police.

Wednesday’s shooting did not appear to be related to the others, Mr O’Hara said.

Minnesota state law requires background checks for all gun sales and the state as a whole has a gun death rate below the US average, according to gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety.

What we know about the shooter Robin Westman

Officials have identified the suspect who opened fire at a Catholic school during Mass in Minneapolis as a man in his early 20s who left behind videos online containing writings that referenced suicide. Multiple senior law enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News that the individual responsible for Wednesday’s shooting is Robin Westman.

Police have publicly stated that the suspect has a limited criminal record and is in his early 20s. Name change documents reveal that the suspect, who previously used a different name, was 23 years old.

NBC News has verified with law enforcement officials that the suspect left online videos featuring writings about suicide, “extremely violent thoughts and ideas,” a message of apology to his family, and a handwritten sketch detailing the interior layout of a church. It is not yet confirmed whether that church is the one at Annunciation Catholic School.

Authorities in Minneapolis have stated that there is currently no active threat.

- with Reuters

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