Police ID shooter who killed 2 kids, hurt 17 at Minneapolis Catholic school, church

Two children were killed and 17 people were injured in a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis Wednesday morning.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooting happened during a morning Mass marking the first week of school in which children and adults were worshipping.

He identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman.

O’Hara said Westman appeared to do most or all shooting from the outside through windows. Westman had a rifle, shotgun and a pistol and police say he used all three, firing “dozens” of rounds.

Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed as they were in the pews.

Of the 17 wounded, 14 were children as young as 6. Three parishioners in their 80s were shot, O’Hara said.

Officials said multiple children were in critical condition and at least some were undergoing operations at HCMC. Hospital officials say 10 people were taken there, seven of whom were in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon. A spokesperson for Children’s Minnesota said around 12:30 p.m. that seven children ages 9 to 16 were admitted there. Four had been discharged as of 4:30 p.m.

All of the remaining victims are expected to survive, O’Hara said.

Just before noon, Minneapolis police asked the public to keep avoiding the area “as this is still an active scene and for the privacy of the victims’ families. There is no safety threat to the public.”

When asked if this was the first attack on Catholics during a Mass in the Twin Cities, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said he was not aware of any similar incident.

Several vigils are planned for Wednesday evening. Annunciation Catholic School invited the public to a vigil 7 p.m. Wednesday at Academy of Holy Angels, 6600 Nicollet Ave. S., Richfield.

The city and the Minneapolis Foundation established a fund that the public can donate to by texting ACF1 to 41444. The foundation will work with Annunciation to distribute funds.

Details revealed about the shooter

O’Hara said Westman died by suicide in the rear of the church, adding that Westman had no prior criminal history and had purchased the guns recently and lawfully. There are no other suspects. Police were executing search warrants on the church and three addresses related to Westman.

“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” O’Hara said. 

Westman scheduled a manifesto to publish on YouTube around the time of the shooting that “appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings” but that has “since been taken down with assistance from the FBI,” O’Hara said.

FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X, “The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics,” but when asked about Patel’s statement O’Hara said his department is leading the investigation and a motive is not yet clear.

Additionally, Patel posted that Westman was “a male born as Robert Westman,” but O’Hara has referred to Westman as a man and said he could not confirm that Westman had ever changed names.

Both appear to be responding to speculation that Westman identified as transgender, which is not confirmed.

On Wednesday afternoon Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, “I have heard about a whole lot of hate that’s being directed at our trans community. Anybody using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity.”

In 2019, Westman’s mother applied to change the name of a 17-year-old child from Robert to Robin. In court documents obtained by MPR News, Westman’s mother wrote “minor child identifies as female and wants her name to reflect that identification.” It is not clear how Westman currently identified.

Families frantically look for their kids

Annunciation Catholic School is located on West 54th Street, just east of Lyndale Avenue. Children from preschool through eighth grade attend. Police said there was a reunification zone there.

A neighbor said he and his wife started hearing gunshots at 8:30 a.m. and then heard vehicles converging on the scene shortly after.

Annunciation Catholic Church said that “within seconds, our heroic staff moved students under the pews. Law enforcement responded quickly and evacuated all of our children and staff to safety in a matter of minutes when it was safe to do so.”

A preschool teacher who was near the church says she aided a class of young kids as they exited the building. Lauren Jones helped keep the students calm as emergency vehicles arrived. 

“I mean, as a preschool teacher you have to be like, ‘Oh yeah look at the lights!’ Cause they didn’t understand. They weren’t in the chapel, luckily. I got them back and helped a couple older kids, a fifth and sixth grader who were struggling, and called their parents with them,” Jones said. 

Aaron Rupar, a parent whose kids attend Annunciation, said he and his spouse found their preschool son immediately but had to wait 45 minutes to find their daughter safe in the gym. 

He said they just moved to the neighborhood last weekend.

“Annunciation, obviously, is an institution of south Minneapolis. I know friends of mine who have had, you know, generations who have gone there, their parents have gone there, they went there,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of time for normalcy, you know, if ever, to come back.”

Minneapolis chef Vincent Francoual’s daughter Chloe had just started sixth grade at annunciation. He said she “is not doing well” after the shooting. 

“I’m not a practicing Catholic, but it don’t really matter. We don’t get judged. It’s not this extreme Catholic school, it’s just very open for everyone. It’s a small school and Chloe loves the school,” he said. “Now she barely want to come back there. She’s scared for everything.”

As emergency responders brought some of the injured to HCMC in downtown Minneapolis, a woman was frantically asking sheriffs’ deputies for help to find her daughter at the hospital.

Minneapolis police previously said in a post on social media around 9:30 a.m. that “There is no active threat to the community at this time. The shooter is contained. Stay away from the area to allow emergency personnel to help victims.”

Parents were seen walking their children away from the church school around 10 a.m.

Leaders react to shooting

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on social media just after 9 a.m. that he had “been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.” The FBI also is on the scene.

President Donald Trump issued a statement that “The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved.”

The president also offered his condolences to the state in a conversation with Walz, and the governor thanked him for his support.

Walz ordered all United States and Minnesota flags to fly at half-staff at all state buildings immediately in honor of the victims.

Archbishop Hebda said Pope Leo XIV sent a message saying he was “profoundly saddened to learn of the loss of life and injuries” in the shooting and “he sends his heartfelt condolences” to all affected.

“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now — these kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school,” an emotional Frey said during an 11 a.m. press conference.

“They should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence and their parents should have the same kind of assurance,” the mayor said.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota said in a statement, “This is the most horrific nightmare imaginable for the parents who dropped their children off at the first week back to school. My heart is breaking for my beloved Minneapolis.”

The Minneapolis delegation in the Minnesota House of Representatives released the following statement: “We cannot accept a world where people face the threat of gun violence as they go about their daily lives.

“For now, we will take time to be here for the victims of this tragedy, to grieve and heal. We can’t become numb to these acts of senseless violence which have become our status quo.”

This story was originally published on MPR News website.

MPR News staff Clay Masters, Dana Ferguson, Erica Zurek, Feven Gerezgiher, Gretchen Brown, Heidi Raschke, Jessica Bari, Jon Collins, Matt Sepic, Nicole Ki, Nina Moini, Peter Cox and Sarah Thamer contributed to this story.