What we know about Minnesota school shooting suspect Robin Westman
Police have identified the suspect who they say opened fire outside of a church at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 18 others, as 23-year-old Robin Westman.
An 8-year-old and 10-year-old were shot and killed when the gunman fired through the windows of a church at the Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday morning, police said.
The shooter died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also confirmed the identity of the suspect, calling Westman a “deranged monster.”
“This level of violence is unthinkable. Our deepest prayers are with the children, parents, families, educators, and Christians everywhere. We mourn with them, we pray for healing, and we will never forget them,” Noem said in a statement.
Driver’s license information reviewed by ABC News describes Westman as a female, born on June 17, 2002.
A name change application for a minor born on the same date was approved by a district court in Minnesota in 2020, changing the name of a Robert Westman to Robin Westman, explaining the minor child “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
Police said Westman is believed to be the only suspect in this shooting. Westman does not appear to have an extensive or known criminal history, police said.
Officials said they are looking through information left behind to “try to determine some type of motive” for this shooting. O’Hara told ABC News the suspect “clearly had a deranged obsession with previous mass shooters.”
“Ultimately this person committed this act with the intention of causing as much terror, as much trauma, as much carnage as possible for their own personal notoriety,” O’Hara said.
O’Hara said during a press conference on Thursday that the shooter “fantasized about the plans of other mass shooters.”
The chief said authorities do not believe the suspect had any previous arrests or civil commitments for mental health issues.
Annunciation church shooting suspect Robin Westman’s mother worked at the church until 2021, according to online posts from the church. Westman also previously attended the school, the police chief told ABC News.
Mother worked at the church
In the name change application from 2020, Mary Grace Westman was listed as Robin Westman’s mother.
An August 2021 post by the church, reviewed by ABC News, announced Westman’s retirement after five years of service at the church.
A 2020 post by the church’s outgoing pastor described Westman as a parish secretary; a 2016 church bulletin announced her hiring as an administrative assistant in the church’s business office.
Officials looking into YouTube videos
Officials are investigating a series of videos posted to YouTube believed to be associated with Westman, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the matter.
Two videos, posted Wednesday morning and since removed by YouTube, show someone flipping through dozens of pages of notes dated over the course of several months, which include what appears to be doodles of weapons, middle fingers, and expletives. There are also repeated references to killing.
The videos, which depict handwritten journals and a display of high-powered weaponry, paint a portrait of a person with a rambling and deeply nihilistic outlook, according to analyses by law enforcement and ABC News.
The writings in the notebooks and on the firearms, which are written in a blend of Cyrillic alphabet, English and other languages, indicate a series of grievances, anger and ideations of harm to self and to others.
The writings also appear to show overt references to other high-profile school shootings and shooters.
In one notebook, there is a sticker that says “defend equality” with an LGBTQIA flag, overlaid with a gun. A gun also has writings against Israel.
Taking up a full page of a notebook is a hand-drawn birdseye view of the inside of a church with pews. The drawing appears to show the interior layout of Annunciation Church.
In one of the videos, the shooter refers to personal depression and apologizes to family members.
YouTube did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Suspect worked at cannabis dispensary
Westman was a former employee at a cannabis dispensary in the Minneapolis area for several months this year, but was not employed by the company at the time of the shooting, a spokesperson for the parent company of RISE medical cannabis dispensaries confirmed to ABC News.
“We are cooperating fully with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation and will provide any information that may assist their efforts. At this moment, our priority is to respect the investigative process, to extend our deepest sympathies to all those impacted, and support our team through this horrific tragedy. We will not be providing additional comment at this time,” the RISE spokesperson said in a statement.
Westman mentioned working at a dispensary in a journal entry in July, according to an analysis by ABC News.
Former classmate says suspect showed red flags in grade school
Josefina Sanchez, who said she was a former classmate of Westman while they were both in grade school in St. Paul, told ABC Minneapolis affiliate KSTP the shooter had few friends and odd obsessions, things she would now categorize as red flags.
“I knew that something was off, but I was a kid; how was I to know what to do?” Sanchez told KSTP.
She told KSTP the video of Westman’s journal written in a blend of Cyrillic alphabet brought back memories of the suspect writing in code so no one could understand it.
“It was just kinda triggering,” Sanchez told KSTP. “I wish I could have said something sooner, but I was little, how was I supposed to know?”
Shooter appeared to ‘hate all of us’
U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joe Thompson said the shooter’s writings described his plan, mental state and “pure, indiscriminate hate.”
“The shooter’s heart was full of hate,” Thompson said.
Thompson also said the suspect was “obsessed with the idea of killing children.”
“The shooter saw the attack as a way to target the most vulnerable among us,” Thompson said.
On Wednesday morning, the shooter approached the side of the church and fired the rifle through the windows toward the children and other worshipers sitting in the pews, O’Hara said. Westman was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and police believe the shooter fired from all three weapons. Police said Westman bought the weapons lawfully and they were “purchased recently.”
At the scene of the crime, three shotgun shells were recovered, along with 116 rifle rounds. One live round of ammunition was recovered from a hand gun that appeared to malfunction while the shooter was using it, police said.
Additional firearms are also being recovered from the residences that are “related to the shooter,” police said. No explosives were discovered at the scene, but a “smoke bomb” was located by officials, police said.
O’Hara described the suspect as a “coward” and said the shooting was a “deliberate act of violence” that is “absolutely incomprehensible.”
“This kind of evil should never happen,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
Frey stressed at a second news conference, “Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize 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.”
“Kids died today,” he continued. “This needs to be about them. This needs to be wrapping our arms around these families.”
10-Year-Old Killed in Minneapolis School Shooting ID’d by Family as Harper Moyski
Authorities have identified the second young student, aged 10, who died in Wednesday’s mass school shooting in Minneapolis
The second victim who was shot and killed during Wednesday’s mass shooting at a Catholic school and church in Minneapolis has been identified.
The family of the 10-year-old victim identified the deceased as Harper Moyski. She and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel were the two children who were killed Wednesday when a 23-year-old mass shooter opened fire on students and teachers attending a school mass before the second day of the school year.
Moyski was both a student at Annunciation Catholic School in south Minneapolis, where the mass shooting took place.
The young girl’s family issued a statement on Thursday, Aug. 28: “We are devastated to share that our beloved daughter, Harper Moyski, was tragically killed in the recent school shooting. Harper was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her.”
“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain,” her parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, said. “While our immediate focus is on Harper and our family’s healing, we also believe it is important that her memory fuels action. No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain.”
“We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country. Change is possible, and it is necessary—so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies,” they continued. “We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support. Harper’s light will always shine through us, and we hope her memory inspires others to work toward a safer, more compassionate world.”
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Authorities announced Thursday, Aug. 28, that 18 others were injured in the shooting, 15 of whom were children. The other three victims were three churchgoers in their 80s, according to local KTSP.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addressed the media at a press conference, calling the shooting “unspeakable.”
“No words that can capture the horror of this unspeakable act,” Frey said. “Children are dead.”
“Do not think of these as just somebody else’s kids, think of this as if it were your own,” Frey continued. “Every one of us needs to be wrapping our arms around these families, giving them every ounce we can muster. These were Minneapolis families, these were American families.”
Authorities said the shooter was 23-year-old Robin Westman, whose mother used to work at the school. Westman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the school parking lot, police said Wednesday.
“Our teachers were heroes,” said principal Matthew DeBoer at a press conference later Wednesday. “Children were ducked down, adults were protecting children, older children were protecting younger children, and as we heard earlier, it could have been significantly worse without their heroic action.”
However, DeBoer mourned the two students killed in the shooting, which authorities said began just before 8:30 a.m. local time when Westman opened fire from outside the church, shooting through windows at the students gathered for prayer inside.
“We lost two angels today,” DeBoer said.
Parents of children killed in Annunciation Catholic school shooting speak out
The two students killed in the Annunciation Catholic School mass shooting were an 8-year-old boy who loved to fish and cook and a 10-year-old girl known for her laughter and kindness.
Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, died when the shooter opened fire through the windows of the Minneapolis school’s church on Wednesday morning, their families confirmed Thursday.
Fletcher’s father urged parents to “give your kids an extra hug” as he remembered his son.
“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our 8-year-old son, Fletcher, away from us,” Jesse Merkel said during remarks outside the school on Thursday, publicly identifying his son as one of the victims killed in the “senseless act of violence” carried out by a 23-year-old former student at the school. “Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming.”
Jesse Merkel said his son loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking “and any sport that he was allowed to play.”
The father added, “While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing. I pray that the other victim’s family can find some semblance of the same.”
Harper’s parents remembered her as a “bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her.”
“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss,” her parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, said in a statement provided to ABC Minneapolis station KSTP. “As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.”
Eighteen other people — including 15 kids — were also injured in the shooting and are expected to survive, police said.
The victims’ families praised the response to the mass shooting.
Jesse Merkel said he’s heard many stories of the “swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike, from inside the church,” he said. “Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I’m thankful.”
Harper’s parents said they “also grieve for our fellow Annunciation family in mourning and for those hurt” and that they are “grateful for the staff and first responders who did so much for so many yesterday.”
MORE: What we know about Minnesota school shooting suspect Robin Westman
Jesse Merkel asked that people give their children “an extra hug and kiss today” and that his son is remembered “for the person he was, and not the act that ended his life.”
Harper’s parents said it’s important that their daughter’s memory “fuels action” while imploring for meaningful change to prevent a similar tragedy and “work toward a safer, more compassionate world.”
“No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain,” they said. “We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country. Change is possible, and it is necessary — so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies.”
The shooting occurred during a Mass that marked the first week of school, police said.
The shooter — identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman — died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. Westman had attended the school, and Westman’s mother previously worked in the parish, police said.
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A motive remains under investigation, and police said they’ve not identified a specific trigger for why the children at the church were targeted.
Investigators determined that Westman “harbored a whole lot of hate towards a wide variety of people and groups of people,” and also “had a deranged obsession with previous mass shooters,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told ABC News Live on Thursday.
