Minneapolis Catholic School Mass Shooting during Mass

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Two children are dead, ages 8 and 10, after a gunman opened fire at the Annunciation Catholic School during a morning Mass on the south side of Minneapolis, authorities said. Seventeen others, including 14 children, were injured in the mass shooting, police said.

Multiple senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter say federal law enforcement has identified the shooter as Robin Westman. The suspect, who was in their early 20s, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

The city of Minneapolis said there is no active threat at this time.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have at least one firearm in their possession from the shooter, and they are beginning the tracing protocol, according to an ATF source in Minneapolis.

The suspect who opened fire in Minneapolis on a Catholic school during Mass has been identified by authorities as a person in her early 20s who left behind videos online with writings that referenced suicide.

The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing a rifle through the side windows of the Annunciation Catholic School’s church, aiming at children who were sitting in the pews, authorities said.

Two children, aged 8 and 10, are dead. Seventeen other people were injured by gunfire: 14 children between the ages of 6 to 15, and three adults in their 80s who were parishioners in the church, officials said in a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooter was “a male” born under a different first name.

The suspect's parent had filed for a legal name change to "Robin M Westman" in Dakota County in November 2019. That application was granted in January 2020, when Westman was 17, after a hearing.

The filing granting the name change said it was in the best interest of the minor child because the “minor child identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey warned against any hate being directed towards the trans community.

The suspect had no prior criminal history, officials said Wednesday

In the shooting, officials recovered a rifle, shotgun and a pistol used by the suspect that were all legally purchased recently by the suspect.

Authorities believe Westman acted alone. Search warrants are being executed at the church and three residences nearby that are related to the suspect.

"Additional firearms are being recovered from those residences as we speak," said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

O’Hara said authorities were working to determine a motive and that police were aware of a "manifesto" that the suspect had timed to be released on YouTube.

“This manifesto appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings. That content has since been taken down with the assistance of the FBI, and it now remains under active review by our investigators,” the police chief said.

NBC News had earlier confirmed with law enforcement officials briefed on the matter that the suspect left behind videos posted online with writings that reference suicide, "extremely violent thoughts and ideas," an apology to their family and a handwritten sketch of the interior layout of a church. It's unclear whether that church was the one at Annunciation Catholic School.

What we know about the shooter
CNN reporting: The 23-year-old shooter graduated from Annunciation Catholic’s grade school in 2017, according to a yearbook obtained by CNN. Westman’s mother also had previously worked at the school from 2016 through 2021, according to social media posts.

The FBI identified the shooter as Robin Westman. The agency is investigating the shooting as “an act of domestic terrorism and hate crimes targeting Catholics,” according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

However, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara was asked in a news conference if the shooting was a hate crime, and he said officials don’t have a motive yet to investigate it as a hate crime.

Westman had no prior criminal history

Shooter put two-by-fours through handles of church exit doors, police chief says
The shooter placed wooden two-by-fours through the door handles of two separate exits of the Annunciation Catholic Church, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.

“The theory is he wanted to create containment where his victims would be trapped within that location,” said CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller.

“That required some planning and forethought,” said Miller.

The two-by-fours were placed on at least two doors on the side of the church from where the shooter fired, the chief said earlier.

Police officer went after the shooter while gunshots rang out, student's father says
One parent who was inside Annunciation Catholic Church with his son said a police officer went after the gunman as shots rang out.

Shea McAdaragh told reporters the officer came into the church while the shooting was actively taking place and then left the church a few seconds later attempting to find the shooter.

“He was just a normal, every day beat cop. No special equipment, no special helmet or anything and he just immediately ran toward the direction of the shooter,” McAdaragh told reporters. “And that’s when I knew I was safe, the children were safe, and we were able to start triaging the kids.”

Police said the shooter opened fire from the outside of the building, through the windows at people inside.

McAdaragh said he was sitting in the back pew and his son, a second grader at Annunciation Catholic School, was not hurt.

After the news conference with officials earlier this morning, he shared an emotional moment with Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, where McAdaragh praised the officer who came in.

In the terrifying moments of the shooting, McAdaragh said he didn’t remember any screaming, just silence. He said he thought about what they should do — if they should run to the basement or go outside.

“Somebody asked me if there was a bunch of screaming going on. I remember no screaming,” he said. “I remember gunshots and silence.”
McAdaragh also said he saw the principal locking doors with a key.

Videos linked to the alleged shooter of a Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, include antisemitic messages written on weapons.

Videos posted online believed to be from Westman show firearms and ammunition magazines marked with messages written in white.

The Anti-Defamation League says preliminary research indicates the shooter had written antisemitic and anti-Israel references on the weapons, as well as praise for mass killers from across the ideological spectrum, including white supremacist, Islamophobic and anti-government attackers.

Messages on the weapons in the videos say “Burn Israel,” and “Destroy HIAS,” referring to a Jewish refugee agency that white supremacists have used as evidence of the Great Replacement Theory, which falsely claims that Jews are attempting to bring non-white immigrants into the US to supplant the white population.

On the handle of one firearm was the name “Robert Bowers,” a white supremacist who murdered 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2018. Bowers had ranted against HIAS online ahead of the shooting.

On another weapon, the alleged shooter wrote, “6 million wasn’t enough,” an apparent reference to the Holocaust.

An object that appeared to be a smoke grenade had the words “Jew Gas.”

The videos also have anti-Christian messages and racist terms for Hispanic and Black people, and the message “Kill Donald Trump.”

The videos have not yet been verified by law enforcement.

More than seven years before Robin Westman opened fire on a Catholic school as Mass was underway, killing two children and injuring 17 more worshippers, police were called to a townhouse in the Twin Cities suburb where she lived with her mother.

The heavily redacted police report NBC News obtained from the police department in Eagan, Minnesota, is dated Jan. 26, 2018, and it includes a two-word description explaining why an officer was dispatched to that address: mental health.

It also includes a brief synopsis that reads “assisted Mendota Heights with a check welfare of a juvenile.” Mendota Heights is another Twin Cities suburb.

The name of that juvenile and what exactly prompted police to be summoned to the three-bedroom home on Crane Creek Lane were blacked out in the report.

Two years before the mental health call, police responded to a report of a “criminal offense” at the residence, according to a police report. But beyond noting that the case was closed, the report blacks out all the details describing the event.

Investigators probing Wednesday’s deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis continue to search for a clear motive to explain why Westman, 23, committed the act of terror.

Minnesota has a red flag law that went into effect in January 2024, allowing family members and others to petition the courts to have guns removed from a person they believe poses a threat to themselves or the community. The state passed a law in 2023 requiring gun buyers to pass universal background checks and to obtain permits for pistols or semiautomatic military-style assault weapons.

But it does not appear any alarms were sounded as Westman amassed an arsenal that included the rifle, the pistol and the shotgun used in the attack on the church.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Thursday that authorities do not have information indicating that Westman suffered from mental illness and that, other than a traffic ticket, she did not have a police record.

“There is nothing in the investigation so far that would lead us to believe that anything was missed,” O’Hara said.

The shooter, he said, was able to “lawfully purchase these weapons.”

O’Hara added that Westman’s family has been cooperating with investigators, but they have not yet located his mother, who lives in another state. Records show her residence as being in Florida.

The FBI’s special agent in charge in Minneapolis, Alvin M. Winston Sr., said the agency had not had any previous contact with the shooter.

“We did a check of all of our holdings, the FBI holdings, and he was not in our holdings prior to this incident, so we didn’t have anything on him at that time,” Winston said.

And police are reviewing the online videos, in which the shooter scrawled racial slurs, a homophobic slur, antisemitic messages, a call for President Donald Trump’s death and references to the Holocaust and the Catholic Church.

In addition, the video showed the suspect flipping through the pages of a journal written in English but using the Cyrillic alphabet. At times uttering “koshmar,” which is the Russian word for “nightmare,” the shooter discusses the mechanics of mass school shootings and suicide.

A person who went to Minneapolis’ Southwest High School with the shooter and described her as “a bit of a strange person with a dark sense of humor” said she never heard Westman make any jokes about shootings or guns. But she often mumbled in what the person believed was Russian, said the former classmate, who asked not to be identified for privacy reasons.

“People would ask what she was saying, and she would just tell them, ‘Oh, nothing,’” the person recalled.

“Yesterday’s events were very shocking to everyone who knew her in school and the entire Minneapolis community,” the former classmate said. “Many people do and say strange things in their teenage years, so many people just saw it as her just trying to be ‘edgy’ or ‘funny.’ It’s very hard to see the videos of what she planned and carried out. I was never very close with her, but this is still very heavy on my heart.”

Westman said in the journal that she began pondering mass murder in the seventh grade. In particular, she was fixated on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut in 2012.

She writes that she has a history of making threats about violence. In another part of the journal, she writes about how easy it would be to buy a gun and mentions that she has dropped warning signs to people, asking for help.

Westman’s parents, who are divorced, have yet to make a public statement about the shooting. Neither could be reached for comment.

Westman was 11 when her mother and her father, James Westman, divorced in 2013. At the time, she and her brother and sister lived with their parents in Hastings, another Twin Cities suburb.

Police were called to that residence at least four times from 2003 to 2016, including once for a welfare check for an adult female, a sibling, who was threatening suicide in 2014. Also in 2014, police responded to a report of vandalism at the home. Officers saw several offensive words and pictures written on windows of the garage and the father’s car.

Another call in 2010 related to a “juvenile problem” with a 17-year-old daughter who was “out of control.” But nothing in the records indicates that those incidents involved the shooter.

When the shooter was living in Eagan, she was still using her birth name. She did not become Robin M. Westman until age 17, when, records show, the name change application was granted in January 2020 in Dakota County, Minnesota.

While Westman’s parents signed off on the name change, her mother expressed conflicted feelings about her child’s gender identity, said a former school employee who was asked what they remembered about the family. The former school employee spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about family issues.

“She said, ‘I don’t know how I feel about this’,” the ex-employee said. “I think she was struggling with her Catholic faith. ... She didn’t know how she felt, but it weighed heavily on her.”

The ex-employee also remembered that Westman was often sent to the principal’s office for disruptive behavior and did not seem to have any friends. Westman’s mother expressed concern about her child’s behavioral and social issues, the ex-employee said.

Faced with punishment from school administrators, Westman appeared alternately nervous and nonchalant, the former employee said.

The two children killed in the tragic Annunciation Catholic School shooting Wednesday have been identified by family as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.

“Yesterday a coward decided to take our 8-year-old son Fletcher away from us. Because of their actions we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming,” Jesse Merkel, Fletcher's father, said at a news conference outside the school Thursday.

He said his son loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and sports.

“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing,” Merkel said.

letcher was the second youngest of four children in his family, according to family spokesperson Blois Olson. He and his two older siblings were attending Wednesday’s Mass, and the other two who were there were not injured in the shooting.

Harper was also identified Thursday by her parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, who remembered her as a joyful child.

“We are devastated to share that our beloved daughter, Harper Moyski, was tragically killed in the recent school shooting. Harper was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her,” they said in a statement.

“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain,” it continued. “Harper’s light will always shine through us, and we hope her memory inspires others to work toward a safer, more compassionate world.”

Both families shared messages of grief for the Annunciation community and gratefulness for first responders and staff

“Over the past day, I’ve heard many stories accounting the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike, from inside the church. Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I am thankful,” Merkel said. “Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life.”

He closed out his brief remarks by saying: “Give your kids an extra hug and kiss today. We love you. Fletcher, you’ll always be with us.”

Moyski’s parents also shared a message demanding action to address gun violence.

“We also believe it is important that her memory fuels action. No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain,” their statement said. “We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country. Change is possible, and it is necessary — so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies.”

Fifteen other children, ages 6 to 15, were injured in the shooting, as well as three adult parishioners.

Two of the victims were in critical condition as of Thursday morning, a hospital official said.

The mother of the shooter who opened fire Wednesday on a Minneapolis Catholic school during morning Mass has hired a criminal defense attorney, as police say they've been unable to reach her.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated that Robin Westman's family has been cooperating with investigators; however, they have not yet located her mother, Mary Grace Westman. Records show that her residence is in Florida.

He said investigators have done dozens of interviews with the shooter’s family, friends and associates, and have talked to the shooter's father.

"I know we have not been successful in talking to the shooter’s mother yet at this time," O’Hara said at a news conference Thursday.

Authorities often seek to speak with the families of mass shooters as they investigate a motive. In one high-profile case following a 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan, the parents of shooter Ethan Crumbley were charged and convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

James and Jennifer Crumbley were sentenced in April 2024 to 10 to 15 years in prison. Their son pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.

Police have not said whether Mary Grace Westman or any family members potentially face charges. O'Hara told reporters on Thursday that the department will continue to try to speak with the shooter's mother.

Video surveillance appears to confirm that the shooter did not enter the church.

"The practice of locking the doors once Mass began likely prevented a worse incident," a police news release said. "At the same time, the suspect attempted to barricade a door from the outside, preventing exit from the church."

Four search warrants have been executed at the church as well as locations in South Minneapolis, Richfield, and St. Louis Park, police said. Investigators said they recovered a Condor tactical vest, two external media storage devices, and miscellaneous documents from the shooter's father's house.

I'm waiting for the tinfoil hat brigade to start screaming how there were no victims, everyone are crisis actors, and that this is just a plot by the government to seize America's guns.

Such people IMO need a reality check.

And they need their guns taken away.