US

Catholic School Shooting Suspect Reportedly Identified, Manifestos Found

Lorie Shaull/Creative Commons/Flickr

Authorities have reportedly identified the man who police say opened fire on children at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday before killing himself.

Authorities identified Robin Westman, a man in his early 20s, as the gunman who killed two children while they attended Mass at Annunciation Catholic School, injured 17 other people and fatally shot himself Wednesday morning, local and national news outlets reported, citing law enforcement sources. Videos from a channel bearing Westman’s name were posted on YouTube around the time of the attack, showing disturbing footage featuring multiple guns, cartridges and ammunition with statements written on the weaponry such as “where is your God?” and other ramblings, the Daily Caller News Foundation found.

The videos, which the DCNF saved before they were deleted, show what appears to be Westman filming an array of weapons in a bedroom and writings on paper apologizing to his family. A thumbnail image from a four-year-old video on the channel shows a man whose face matches images of Westman shared by The New York Post.

“I was corrupted by this world and have learned to hate what life is … 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,” a notebook shown on camera reads.

One message written on weaponry in the video said “Guy Bartkus,” an apparent reference to the man who authorities say blew himself up at a fertility clinic in California in May because he believed humans should not procreate. Another name written on a gun was “Rupnow,” the last name of a high school student who opened fire at a Christian school in Wisconsin in December before killing herself.

Other written messages in the videos show a seemingly incoherent mix of racial slurs, a pride flag, calls to kill President Donald Trump, the phrase “kill pedos,” pentagram symbols, and a statement that “6 million wasn’t enough,” apparently referring to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. One of Westman’s guns was inscribed, “There is no message.”

Another clip of the footage shows a picture of Jesus Christ on a shooting target, while the words “fuck everything that you stand for” are seen on one of the cartridges.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed in an X post Wednesday afternoon that the gunman wrote “For the Children,” “Where is your God?” and “Kill Donald Trump” on a cartridge, matching what the deleted videos show.

“We have confirmation that the shooter at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, MN was a 22 year-old man, claiming to be transgender,” Noem wrote. FBI Director Kash Patel also posted that Westman changed his name from Robert to Robin.

“The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics,” Patel wrote.

The suspected gunman did not have an extensive criminal history, authorities said Wednesday, according to FOX9.

The FBI’s Minneapolis office and the Minneapolis Police Department did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.