It was the first week of school at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Children from preschool through eighth grade were settling into a routine, and parents felt a little more at ease after summer break. That calm was broken in an instant when gunfire erupted during a morning Mass inside the school’s church.
Police say 23-year-old Robin Westman approached the side of the church building with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol. Westman began firing through the stained-glass windows at the children and adults seated in the pews. Within minutes, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old were killed. Seventeen others—most of them young students—were injured.
Families rushed to barricades outside the school, desperate to find out if their children were safe. Survivors recall the chaos: children ducking under pews, teachers shielding students with their bodies, and the piercing sound of gunfire echoing in what should have been a place of peace.
Authorities confirmed Westman died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials described the act as deliberate, incomprehensible, and deeply disturbing. Investigators later revealed that Westman had purchased the weapons legally and recently, despite having no serious criminal history. The motive remains under investigation, but police are reviewing disturbing writings and videos posted online just hours before the shooting.
In two now-removed YouTube videos, believed to be linked to Westman, journals and weapons were displayed. Messages scrawled on the firearms included chilling phrases such as “Kill Donald Trump,” “Nuke India,” “Israel must fall,” and “Where is your God?” One magazine even had “For the children” written across it, alongside references to past school shooters.
The Minneapolis Catholic school shooter was Robin Westman.
— Leftism (@LeftismForU) August 27, 2025
He was a biological male who identified as a transgender "woman."
Written on his guns and magazines were things like "kill Trump now," "6 million was not enough" (referring to the Holocaust), "for the children," "I'm… pic.twitter.com/KGEauspsTQ
In a separate note, Westman apologized to family members and spoke of personal depression. Law enforcement also found a hand-drawn layout of Annunciation Church, showing that the attack was carefully planned.
Adding another layer to the story, records show that Westman was born Robert Westman in 2002 and legally changed the name to Robin in 2020 after identifying as female. Westman’s mother once worked at the same church as an administrative assistant, retiring in 2021 after five years of service. Officials are still looking at whether those connections played a role in the choice of target.
Community leaders and national figures quickly responded. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called it “a horrific act of violence” that shattered the first week of school.
The Minneapolis Catholic school shooter was Robin Westman.
— Leftism (@LeftismForU) August 27, 2025
He was a biological male who identified as a transgender "woman."
Written on his guns and magazines were things like "kill Trump now," "6 million was not enough" (referring to the Holocaust), "for the children," "I'm… pic.twitter.com/KGEauspsTQ
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the shooting but also urged the public not to use the tragedy to target the trans community, reminding people, “Kids died today. This needs to be about them.” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Westman as a “deranged monster,” while President Donald Trump ordered flags flown at half-staff nationwide.
For experts who study these events, the incident raises both alarm and context. Criminologist James Alan Fox from Northeastern University noted that while mass shootings remain devastating, the overall number of such attacks has actually declined this year compared to the past two years.
According to the Associated Press/USA Today/Northeastern Mass Killing Database, the number of mass killings with four or more fatalities has dropped by 55% from last year, while mass shootings resulting in multiple injuries have fallen by 24%. Still, the fear among parents is real. A Gallup poll showed that nearly half of American parents worry about their children’s safety at school, a concern that spiked after the 2022 Uvalde shooting in Texas.
At Annunciation Catholic School, grief now hangs over a community that only days ago celebrated the start of a new school year. Vigils are being planned, counselors are working with students, and neighbors are rallying to support the victims’ families. Survivors—some still too young to fully process what they lived through—will carry the memory of ducking under pews and holding onto each other while the sounds of gunfire filled their sanctuary.
The hug of a mother clutching her child outside the police barricades has already become the defining image of the tragedy. It captures both the terror of the attack and the desperate relief of survival. While investigators sift through Westman’s writings and weapons for answers, the families of two children now face an emptiness that no explanation can fill.