The community of Minneapolis is reeling after a tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church that left two children dead and many others wounded. Authorities have now confirmed the identity of the suspect, offering chilling details that paint a disturbing picture of what led up to the attack.
The shooting unfolded on the morning of Wednesday, August 27, 2025, during a school Mass at Annunciation Church on West 54th Street. Emergency responders rushed to the scene after multiple reports of gunfire, quickly securing the area. The City of Minneapolis immediately issued a public alert on its official X account, urging residents to avoid the neighborhood between Lyndale and Nicollet Avenues. Officials later confirmed that the shooter had been contained and that the community was no longer in immediate danger.
According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, two children—an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old—lost their lives in the attack. Seventeen others were injured, including 14 children. Two of those victims remain in critical condition. The tragedy marks one of the deadliest acts of violence in the city in recent years, leaving families shattered and a community searching for answers.
Police have identified the suspect as Robin Westman. Records show that Westman legally changed her name from Robert to Robin in 2020 and identified as a woman. Investigators are now piecing together Westman’s background and possible motives.
Disturbing videos linked to Westman surfaced before the shooting on a YouTube channel that has since been deleted. Investigators believe Westman uploaded the content, which displayed firearms, ammunition, racial slurs, white supremacist imagery, and anti-religious messages. One particularly shocking video showed a target with the face of Jesus and weapons inscribed with names referencing previous mass shootings, including Sandy Hook, the Tree of Life Synagogue, and the Christchurch mosque attacks.
In addition to the videos, Westman shared a handwritten four-page manifesto addressed to her family and friends. The letter revealed signs of deep emotional turmoil and intent. “I don’t expect forgiveness… I do apologize for the effects my actions will have on your lives,” the letter began. Later passages expressed despair and an acknowledgment of wrongdoing: “I have wanted this for so long. I am not well. I am not right. I am a sad person, haunted by these thoughts that do not go away. I know this is wrong, but I can’t seem to stop myself.” The letter ended with a request for prayers for the victims and their families.
Additional materials found in the videos only add to the disturbing picture. Items included a shirt featuring the old Minnesota state flag with the phrase “Do it before the anxiety kicks in,” as well as references to the Holocaust and inflammatory statements calling for Israel to “fall” and “burn.” Investigators also uncovered a journal written partly in Cyrillic characters, which contained a hand-drawn map of Annunciation Church. Police believe a smoke bomb shown in one of the videos was used during the assault.
As investigators continue to piece together the sequence of events and motives behind the attack, the Minneapolis community is left grieving and searching for healing. The deaths of two young children and the injuries to so many others have struck at the heart of a city still struggling to make sense of senseless violence.
