The shooter at a south Minneapolis Catholic Church has been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, from suburban Minneapolis.
A video going viral online, originally posted to YouTube and believed to belong to Westman, per the New York Post shows a manifesto as well as several weapons and ammunition with writing on them.
The writings on the weaponry feature the names of several infamous mass shooters and killers.
One of those names written is Robert Bowers, the man convicted of killing 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in October 2018.
Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed in the shooting. 17 were injured, including 14 children according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara.
"We believe it is one shooter. He's in his early 20s," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said of the shooter who they say shot himself in the parking lot. "He does not have a known criminal history and we're looking through information left behind to determine some kind of motive."
O'Hara called Westman a coward. "The sheer cruelty and cowardice is incomprehensible," he added.
"These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey at a Wednesday morning press briefing.
O'Hara also says Westman barricaded two doors with 2x4 boards. He says the man fired from the outside into the church and it does not appear any shots were fired from inside the church.
Robin Westman was born Robert Westman. According to court documents obtained by WCCO's Jason DeRusha, Westman's mother applied for a name change when Robert was 17, giving the reason, "identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification."
Westman's mother, Mary Grace Westman, was a parish secretary at Annunciation, and retired in 2021 according to a post on Facebook.