Police have recognized the suspect who they are saying opened hearth exterior of a church at a Catholic college in Minneapolis, killing two kids and injuring 18 others, as 23-year-old Robin Westman.
An 8-year-old and 10-year-old had been shot and killed when the gunman fired via the home windows of a church on the Annunciation Catholic Faculty on Wednesday morning, police mentioned.
The shooter died on the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara mentioned.
Division of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem additionally confirmed the id of the suspect, calling Westman a “deranged monster.”
Police and first responders work on the scene of a capturing close to Annunciation Church and Catholic Faculty in Minneapolis, Minneosta, on August 27, 2025.
Eva Claire Hambach/AFP through Getty Pictures
“This stage of violence is unthinkable. Our deepest prayers are with the youngsters, dad and mom, households, educators, and Christians in all places. We mourn with them, we pray for therapeutic, and we’ll always remember them,” Noem mentioned in a press release.
Driver’s license info reviewed by ABC Information describes Westman as a feminine, born on June 17, 2002.
A driver’s license picture obtained by ABC Information reveals Robin Westman, recognized because the suspect in Aug. 27, 2025 assault in Minneapolis.
Obtained by ABC Information
A reputation change software for a minor born on the identical date was authorised by a district court docket in Minnesota in 2020, altering the title of a Robert Westman to Robin Westman, explaining the minor youngster “identifies as a feminine and desires her title to mirror that identification.”
Police mentioned Westman is believed to be the one suspect on this capturing. Westman doesn’t seem to have an intensive or identified legal historical past, police mentioned.
Regulation enforcement officers collect exterior Annunciation Church following a mass capturing occasion, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
Tim Evans/Reuters
Officers mentioned they’re wanting via info left behind to “attempt to decide some kind of motive” for this capturing. O’Hara informed ABC Information the suspect “clearly had a deranged obsession with earlier mass shooters.”
“In the end this particular person dedicated this act with the intention of inflicting as a lot terror, as a lot trauma, as a lot carnage as attainable for their very own private notoriety,” O’Hara mentioned.
O’Hara mentioned throughout a press convention on Thursday that the shooter “fantasized in regards to the plans of different mass shooters.”
The chief mentioned authorities don’t imagine the suspect had any earlier arrests or civil commitments for psychological well being points.
Annunciation church capturing suspect Robin Westman’s mom labored on the church till 2021, based on on-line posts from the church. Westman additionally beforehand attended the college, the police chief informed ABC Information.
Mom labored on the church
Within the title change software from 2020, Mary Grace Westman was listed as Robin Westman’s mom.
An August 2021 put up by the church, reviewed by ABC Information, introduced Westman’s retirement after 5 years of service on the church.
A 2020 put up by the church’s outgoing pastor described Westman as a parish secretary; a 2016 church bulletin introduced her hiring as an administrative assistant within the church’s enterprise workplace.
Officers wanting into YouTube movies
Officers are investigating a collection of movies posted to YouTube believed to be related to Westman, based on regulation enforcement sources conversant in the matter.
Two movies, posted Wednesday morning and since eliminated by YouTube, present somebody flipping via dozens of pages of notes dated over the course of a number of months, which embody what seems to be doodles of weapons, center fingers, and expletives. There are additionally repeated references to killing.
The movies, which depict handwritten journals and a show of high-powered weaponry, paint a portrait of an individual with a rambling and deeply nihilistic outlook, based on analyses by regulation enforcement and ABC Information.
The writings within the notebooks and on the firearms, that are written in a mix of Cyrillic alphabet, English and different languages, point out a collection of grievances, anger and ideations of hurt to self and to others.
The writings additionally seem to indicate overt references to different high-profile college shootings and shooters.
In a single pocket book, there’s a sticker that claims “defend equality” with an LGBTQIA flag, overlaid with a gun. A gun additionally has writings in opposition to Israel.
Taking on a full web page of a pocket book is a hand-drawn birdseye view of the within of a church with pews. The drawing seems to indicate the inside structure of Annunciation Church.
In one of many movies, the shooter refers to private melancholy and apologizes to relations.
YouTube didn’t reply to a request for remark from ABC Information.
Households and family members reunite exterior the police barricades after a capturing at Annunciation Church, which can also be residence to a an elementary college, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
Ben Brewer/Reuters
Suspect labored at hashish dispensary
Westman was a former worker at a hashish dispensary within the Minneapolis space for a number of months this yr, however was not employed by the corporate on the time of the capturing, a spokesperson for the dad or mum firm of RISE medical hashish dispensaries confirmed to ABC Information.
“We’re cooperating absolutely with regulation enforcement of their ongoing investigation and can present any info that will help their efforts. At this second, our precedence is to respect the investigative course of, to increase our deepest sympathies to all these impacted, and assist our group via this horrific tragedy. We is not going to be offering extra remark at the moment,” the RISE spokesperson mentioned in a press release.
Westman talked about working at a dispensary in a journal entry in July, based on an evaluation by ABC Information.
Former classmate says suspect confirmed pink flags in grade college
Josefina Sanchez, who mentioned she was a former classmate of Westman whereas they had been each in grade college in St. Paul, informed ABC Minneapolis affiliate KSTP the shooter had few associates and odd obsessions, issues she would now categorize as pink flags.
“I knew that one thing was off, however I used to be a child; how was I to know what to do?” Sanchez informed KSTP.
She informed KSTP the video of Westman’s journal written in a mix of Cyrillic alphabet introduced again recollections of the suspect writing in code so nobody might perceive it.
“It was simply kinda triggering,” Sanchez informed KSTP. “I want I might have mentioned one thing sooner, however I used to be little, how was I imagined to know?”
Shooter appeared to ‘hate all of us’
U.S. Lawyer for the District of Minnesota Joe Thompson mentioned the shooter’s writings described his plan, psychological state and “pure, indiscriminate hate.”
“The shooter’s coronary heart was filled with hate,” Thompson mentioned.
Thompson additionally mentioned the suspect was “obsessive about the concept of killing kids.”
“The shooter noticed the assault as a technique to goal essentially the most susceptible amongst us,” Thompson mentioned.
On Wednesday morning, the shooter approached the facet of the church and fired the rifle via the home windows towards the youngsters and different worshipers sitting within the pews, O’Hara mentioned. Westman was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and police imagine the shooter fired from all three weapons. Police mentioned Westman purchased the weapons lawfully they usually had been “bought lately.”
On the scene of the crime, three shotgun shells had been recovered, together with 116 rifle rounds. One reside spherical of ammunition was recovered from a hand gun that appeared to malfunction whereas the shooter was utilizing it, police mentioned.
Extra firearms are additionally being recovered from the residences which are “associated to the shooter,” police mentioned. No explosives had been found on the scene, however a “smoke bomb” was positioned by officers, police mentioned.
O’Hara described the suspect as a “coward” and mentioned the capturing was a “deliberate act of violence” that’s “completely incomprehensible.”
“This type of evil ought to by no means occur,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey mentioned.
Frey burdened at a second information convention, “Anyone who’s utilizing this as a chance to villainize our trans group, or some other group on the market, has misplaced their sense of widespread humanity. We shouldn’t be working out of a spot of hate.”
“Children died right this moment,” he continued. “This must be about them. This must be wrapping our arms round these households.”
ABC Information’ Katherine Faulders, Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin, Luke Barr, Mike Levine, Sasha Pezenik, Megan Christie and Tonya Simpson contributed to this report.
