A tragic school shooting in Minneapolis has put the spotlight on Robin Westman, the 23-year-old suspect in the attack on Annunciation Catholic School. The shooter, who reportedly died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, killed two children and injured at least 17 others during a back-to-school Mass.
According to a report by the New York Post, which cited law enforcement, police are investigating a series of YouTube videos shared on his account just hours before the shooting.
Images circulating online on Wednesday reveal that the 23-year-old shooter had inscribed phrases like "Mashallah," "Nuke India," and "Israel Must Fall" on the weapons used in the deadly attack at Annunciation Catholic School.
Following the incident, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has deemed it as an “act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.”
Who is Robin Westman?
According to authorities and FBI chief Kash Patel, the Minneapolis shooting was carried out by 23-year-old Robin Westman, “a male born as Robert Westman.” Westman, who legally changed their name in 2020 and identifies as female, is now linked to this tragic act of gun violence.
Reports from the New York Post and CNN reveal that just hours before the attack on Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Westman posted a series of disturbing videos.
Westman is believed to have acted alone and had legally purchased the rifle, pistol, and shotgun used in the attack. Authorities also confirmed that the suspect had no prior criminal record.
Westman was a former student at Annunciation Catholic School, graduating from there in 2017. Furthermore, Westman’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, worked as a secretary at the school until retiring in 2021, according to a church Facebook post.
This personal connection to the school makes the incident even more unsettling. In a manifesto, Westman described why Annunciation was chosen, stating it “seems like a good combo of easy attack form and devastating tragedy.”
Westman also considered targeting an event at the on-site church, but decided that a group of children during recess would be the best target.
In one of the two videos released on YouTube before the channel was taken down, a man, believed to be Westman, shows a four-page handwritten letter addressed to family and friends.
The manifesto contained chilling confessions of suicidal and homicidal thoughts. “I have had thoughts about mass murder for a long time,” Westman wrote, adding concerns about their health: “I think I might have some prostate problems...Even if I can heal, I still just want to die and kill many people.”
The attack was a planned final act, with Westman expressing a wish to “take out a target of political or societal significance” before dying, mentioning figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Westman grew up in Richfield, and the shooter’s mother was an employee at Annunciation School. The shooter’s father owns a home less than a mile from the school and church, which police cordoned off shortly after the incident, according to the Star-Tribune.
While Westman’s exact motive remains unclear, authorities discovered a manifesto published on YouTube, now removed, that offers disturbing insight into Westman’s mindset.
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