Content Warning: This response contains details about a violent incident, including a school shooting, suicide, and sensitive topics such as mental health and hate crimes. Please proceed with care.
Robin Westman, a 23-year-old from suburban Minneapolis, was identified as the suspect in the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on August 27, 2025. The attack, which occurred during a morning Mass, resulted in the deaths of two children, aged 8 and 10, and injured 17 others, including 14 children and three elderly parishioners. Westman died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Below is a comprehensive summary of what is known about the suspect, their background, motives, and the circumstances surrounding the incident, based on available information.
Personal Background
- Identity and Name Change: Robin Westman was born Robert Paul Westman on June 17, 2002. In November 2019, at age 17, Westman’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, filed for a legal name change to Robin M. Westman in Dakota County, Minnesota, stating that the minor “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.” The change was approved in January 2020. Some officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, referred to Westman as a “male claiming to be transgender,” while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned efforts to politicize Westman’s gender identity, emphasizing the focus should remain on the victims.
- Family Connections: Westman was the youngest of three children of Mary Grace and James Allen Westman, who divorced in 2013 after 25 years of marriage. Mary Grace Westman worked as a parish secretary at Annunciation Catholic Church from 2016 until her retirement in 2021, as noted in a since-deleted church Facebook post. Westman’s uncle, Bob Heleringer, a former Kentucky state lawmaker, confirmed his relation to Westman but said he “barely knew” them, having last seen them at a family wedding years ago. Heleringer expressed deep regret, stating, “I wish [Westman] had shot me instead of innocent schoolchildren.”
- Education: Westman attended Annunciation Catholic School, graduating from eighth grade in 2017. A 2017 yearbook photo quoted Westman citing the French EDM band Daft Punk: “Work it. Make it. Do it. Makes us. Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger.” After Annunciation, Westman briefly attended Minnesota Transitions Charter School from August to October 2017, then St. Thomas Academy, a Catholic all-boys school, for the 2017-18 school year, where they were part of the Videography Club. Westman graduated from Southwest High School in Minneapolis in 2021.
- Employment: Westman worked as a personal care specialist at a Rise medical cannabis dispensary in the Minneapolis area for several months in 2025 but left the job on August 16, 2025. A co-worker reported Westman had been disciplined for tardiness and absenteeism. Green Thumb Industries, the parent company, confirmed Westman’s employment and stated they were cooperating with law enforcement.
The Shooting and Weapons
- Incident Details: On August 27, 2025, just before 8:30 a.m., Westman, dressed in black, approached Annunciation Catholic Church during a school Mass and fired dozens of rounds through the stained-glass windows, targeting children and worshippers. Westman used a legally purchased rifle, shotgun, and pistol, all acquired recently. A smoke bomb was found at the scene, but no explosives were discovered. Westman barricaded some church doors with a wooden plank, indicating premeditation. The suspect died by suicide in the church’s parking lot.
- Casualties and Response: Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed, and 17 others were injured, including 14 children (aged 6–15) and three parishioners in their 80s. Two children remained in critical condition as of August 28, 2025. Hennepin Healthcare treated 11 victims, including nine children, with seven in critical condition and four requiring surgery. Children’s Minnesota admitted five children, with three still in care as of August 28. Staff at Annunciation acted quickly, moving students under pews within seconds and evacuating them to safety. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara called the staff’s actions “heroic,” and Mayor Jacob Frey noted their bravery prevented a worse outcome.
Motive and Planning
- Manifesto and Online Content: Westman posted disturbing videos and a manifesto on YouTube, timed for release during the attack, which were later removed with FBI assistance. The videos included:
- A handwritten journal, parts in Cyrillic letters, detailing plans for the attack, including a diagram of Annunciation Church’s layout and references to “scouting missions.” One note, dated late July 2025, described the church as a “good combo of easy attack for me and devastating tragedy.”
- Firearms and ammunition marked with racist and antisemitic slurs, references to the Holocaust, calls for Israel to “fall,” and a message advocating for the killing of President Donald Trump. Some weapons bore names of notorious mass shooters, including Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook, 2012) and Robert Bowers (Pittsburgh synagogue, 2018).
- A suicide note expressing depression, suicidal ideation, and a “morbid obsession” with mass shooters like Anders Breivik (Norway, 2011) and Lanza, which Westman claimed began in seventh grade. The note included apologies to family, with phrases like “I’m so sorry” and “I love my family,” and a claim of self-inflicted health issues from vaping.
- A white supremacy hand gesture and a shirt with the old Minnesota flag and the phrase “Do it before the anxiety kicks in.”
- Motive: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated that a specific motive has not been identified, but the attack was a “deliberate act of violence” intended to cause “terror, trauma, and carnage” for personal notoriety. The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics. Westman’s writings expressed hatred toward multiple groups but also idolized past mass shooters. O’Hara noted no prior arrests or civil commitments for mental health issues, and Westman did not appear on any watchlists.
- Prior Behavior: A former classmate, Josefina Sanchez, who knew Westman as Robert in grade school, recalled “erratic” behavior, including Westman praising Hitler and writing in code. Sanchez described Westman as having few friends and exhibiting “odd obsessions,” suggesting early red flags.
Investigation and Aftermath
- Law Enforcement Response: Authorities are reviewing “hundreds of pieces of evidence,” including Westman’s electronic devices, through multiple search warrants executed at the church and three related residences, where additional firearms were recovered. The FBI and Minneapolis police are analyzing the manifesto and videos to determine a motive, with no indication Westman had accomplices.
- Community and Official Reactions:
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned attempts to vilify the transgender community, stating, “Kids died today. This needs to be about them.” He emphasized the need for action on gun violence, noting the U.S. has more guns than people.
- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described the attack as meeting “evil and horror and death,” calling for community unity. President Donald Trump ordered flags at half-staff until August 31, 2025, in respect for the victims.
- Annunciation Church praised its staff’s quick response and called for prayers, stating, “In this time of darkness, let us commit to being the Light to our children, each other, and our community.”
- Public Figures: Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Cardinal Blase J. of Chicago called for action against gun violence, with the latter criticizing the availability of guns. Former President Barack Obama also spoke out against gun violence numbness.
- Vigils and Support: Hundreds attended vigils across the Twin Cities, and the community rallied to support victims’ families. The White House and Minnesota officials pledged ongoing monitoring and support.
Broader Context
The Annunciation shooting adds to a series of mass shootings in the U.S., prompting renewed calls for gun control from figures like Angela Ferrell-Zabala of Moms Demand Action, who highlighted the tragedy’s timing as schools reopened. Conversely, some conservative figures, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Laura Loomer, used Westman’s transgender identity to fuel anti-trans rhetoric, which Mayor Frey and others criticized as divisive. The National Police Association referenced a prior case involving a transgender shooter, advocating for studies on such incidents, though this remains controversial and unverified.
Westman’s lack of criminal history and legal acquisition of firearms highlight ongoing challenges in identifying potential threats. The detailed planning, obsession with past shooters, and hateful rhetoric in the manifesto suggest a complex psychological profile, though no formal mental health diagnoses were reported.
Sources
Information compiled from reports by NBC News, ABC News, BBC, CNN, Star Tribune, AP News, Euronews, Fox News, KSTP, and TIME, published between August 27 and 29, 2025.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com for support.