A shooter who opened fire on children during a prayer service at a Minneapolis church was driven by a disturbing obsession with killing young people, authorities said. The Minneapolis school attacker, identified as Robin Westman, fatally shot two children, ages 8 and 10, and injured 18 others before taking her own life.
Police said Westman, who previously attended the church’s school, fired dozens of rounds through classroom windows using three firearms. A smoke bomb was also found at the scene. Officials said the attack took place at Annunciation Church, which operates a private school, and could have been even more deadly had the building not been locked before Mass began.
Investigation reveals hate-fueled ideology
Investigators said the motive remains unclear but described a pattern of hatred and a fixation on mass violence. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Westman appeared to hate everyone, with a specific focus on harming children. He urged media outlets not to use the attacker’s name, suggesting the shooter sought notoriety similar to other mass killers.
A note found at the scene expressed hate toward multiple groups, including Jewish communities and President Donald Trump. Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joseph Thompson said the language was “horrific and vile,” and declined to repeat its contents. The shooter also left messages written on firearms, including anti-religious and anti-Semitic phrases, along with calls for political violence.
Weapons were legally purchased
The FBI has classified the incident as an act of domestic terrorism. Director Kash Patel said the Minneapolis school attacker had expressed support for violent ideologies and referenced the Holocaust, Israel, and Palestine in inflammatory language.
Authorities confirmed Westman had legally purchased the firearms. She was not on any government watchlist and had no known mental health diagnoses. Police also searched three homes connected to her. Her mother, a former employee at the school, has not responded to law enforcement.
Community reels, officials call for gun control
Eyewitnesses described harrowing scenes of children fleeing the church, bleeding and begging for help. A neighbor said a young girl with a head wound asked him to hold her hand and not leave her. Parents of survivors voiced anger and fear. One father, originally from France, said it was sickening that American children are trained for mass shootings.
In the aftermath, local officials including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey renewed calls for statewide bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Frey said no civilian should be able to fire 30 rounds without reloading, calling the weapons used “tools built to kill.”
