Two children were killed and 17 other people were hurt after a shooter opened fire during a morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday, August 27.
Police said the attacker fired from outside the church through the windows, then died by suicide at the scene. Authorities said there was no ongoing threat and that the shooter acted alone.
Officials identified the suspect as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a former student of the school. Records showed Westman legally changed name from Robert to Robin in 2020 and identified as a transgender woman. Investigators said the firearms used in the attack had been purchased legally and that they had found no prior criminal history.
At a news conference on Aug. 27, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, “Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community has lost their sense of common humanity,” urging people to focus on the victims and not blame transgender people broadly. He also warned against using the shooter’s gender identity to marginalize the trans community.
Detectives reviewed a series of online posts that appeared to be prepared in advance, including videos and written materials linked to Westman that referenced past mass shootings. Several platforms removed the content after the attack.
Federal authorities said they were examining possible motives and reviewed the case as potential domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.
Officials said the victims included 14 children and three older parishioners. Multiple patients were released from local hospitals in the hours after the shooting.
Law enforcement asked anyone who saved copies of the removed videos or posts to share them with investigators as the case moved forward.
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