Authorities in Minnesota said on Thursday that 23-year-old Robin Westman, who opened fire on children at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis a day earlier, was “obsessed” with the idea of killing children and had a “deranged fascination” with mass murder, The Associated Press reported.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that Westman fired 116 rifle rounds through stained-glass windows while nearly 200 children were gathered inside the church during the first week of classes. “It is very clear that this shooter had the intention to terrorize those innocent children,” O’Hara stated.
Surveillance footage showed that Westman never entered the church and could not see the children while firing through windows aligned with the pews. The shooter, armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol, died by suicide.
Federal authorities, including Acting US Attorney Joe Thompson, said Westman left behind videos and writings expressing hatred toward “almost every group imaginable,” with the exception of “mass murderers.”
“In short, the shooter appeared to hate all of us,” Thompson said.
Among the victims were 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, according to AP. City officials have raised the number of wounded children to 15, ranging in age from 6 to 15. Three elderly parishioners were also injured. One child remained in critical condition Thursday, while 11 others were hospitalized.
Police recovered hundreds of pieces of evidence from the church and three residences, including writings in Cyrillic script and disturbing videos. One note read: “I know this is wrong, but I can’t seem to stop myself.”
Another video showed a person stabbing a drawing of the church windows with a knife. Deleted footage reportedly included messages such as “kill Donald Trump” and “Where is your God?” alongside names of previous mass shooters.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the attack as “domestic terrorism motivated by hate-filled ideology,” citing threats against multiple religions and President Trump.
Westman’s background included a name change from Robert to Robin in 2020, with a court petition stating the individual “identifies as a female.”
Despite the shooter’s history, investigators found no prior arrests or legal barriers that would have prevented firearm purchases, according to AP. Police records from Eagan included a 2018 mental health call and a 2016 criminal complaint, both heavily redacted.