New details emerge about mass shooter who killed two children after opening fire on school
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
A suspected shooter who opened fire at a church adjacent to Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis yesterday has now been identified.
On Wednesday morning (27 August), an individual entered the facility while children - aged from pre-school to the eighth grade - were celebrating mass to mark the start of the new academic year.
Social media images taken earlier in the day show several classes smiling as they arrived at the facility for the autumn term.
Responding authorities have since confirmed that two school children - aged eight and ten - were tragically killed in the shooting, while a further 14 were left injured - two of whom are currently in critical condition.
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Three members of staff were also injured in the incident.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara previously said that the attacker began firing from the church windows, adding: "During the mass, a gunman approached from the outside of the building.
"He struck children and worshippers that were inside the building."
They were quickly reported to be dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with O'Hara later confirming their death in a press conference, adding that they 'ultimately took [their] own life'.
In the hours since the attack, new details have emerged about the suspect, who was initially described as 'a man' in his twenties, dressed in all-black and armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.
The attacker has since been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, believed to be a former student at the school, who began identifying as a woman in 2019, after changing their name from Robert, as per court documents.
Their mother applied for the name-change on the basis that Westman identified 'as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification', PEOPLE reports.
According to the New York Post, however, they seemed to 'back away' from this identity in the years that followed.
A notebook recovered from their possessions reportedly reads: "I don’t want to dress girly all the time but I guess sometimes I really like it.
"I know I am not a woman but I definitely don’t feel like a man.
"I really like my outfit. I look pretty, smart and modest. I think I want to wear something like this for my shooting."
According to law enforcement sources who spoke to the Associated Press, the motive for Westman's act of violence against innocent children is not yet known.
The notion of the incident being both domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics is being investigated by the FBI, Director Kash Patel said.
The bureau is also taking into consideration a series of videos Westman - who doesn’t have a criminal history - posted online prior to the incident, many of which feature weapons.
One clip appears to show them flipping through the notebook, which itself contains illegible writings, as well as a drawing of a religious facility that seemingly resembles Annunciation Catholic Church.
The Minneapolis attack marks the 44th on American school students this year alone, according to data collected by CNN.
Given Westman's gender identity, the mayor of Minneapolis has since issued a warning against 'villainising' the LGBTQ+ community.
Jacob Frey told press yesterday: "I have heard about a whole lot of hate that’s being directed at our trans community.
"Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainise our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity.
"We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone."
The mayor continued: "We should be operating from a place of love for our kids. Kids died today. This needs to be about them."
US President Donald Trump has since issued a statement on the attack.
Taking to Truth Social, the Republican wrote: "I have been fully briefed on the tragic shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The FBI quickly responded, and they are on the scene.
"The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!"