Sources on Wednesday identified the gunman who opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School and Church in south Minneapolis, killing two children, ages 8 and 10, and wounding 17 others, as 23-year-old Robin Westman.
Westman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing through stained-glass windows during a morning Mass marking the first week of school, police said.
Fourteen of the wounded were children, two of whom are in critical condition.
It appears one of Westman’s possible connections to Annunciation was through his mother, Mary Grace Westman, who worked at the parish for five years before retiring in 2021.
A Facebook post from the school at the time praised her “wonderful hospitality, friendship and compassion.”
In 2019, Mary Grace Westman petitioned Dakota County court to change her minor child’s name from Robert Paul Westman to Robin M. Westman when the minor was 17.
The order granting the request said that, “Minor child identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
The request was granted in early 2020, records show.
Several disturbing videos are circulating online that were allegedly filmed by the gunman prior to the shooting. Alpha News is working to confirm their authenticity.
Law enforcement officials said Westman was not previously known to police. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara called the attack “sheer cruelty and cowardice” and said investigators are working to determine a motive.
The post Sources identify shooter in Minneapolis Catholic school shooting as 23-year-old Robin — formerly Robert — Westman appeared first on Alpha News MN.
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Author: Jenna Gloeb
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