A murderer clad in all black killed two kids after firing through stained-glass windows and into a Mass being held at a Catholic school in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the murdered children were 8 and 10. He stated that 14 children aged between six and 15 were injured by the gunfire, as were three adults, all of whom were in their 80s.
Multiple media outlets, including the New York Post and Kare 11, identified the shooter as Robin Westman, a 23-year-old who previously went by Robert. Officials later confirmed Westman as the suspect.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the shooting took place during a morning Mass that students and some parents attended. O’Hara confirmed that shots were fired during Mass, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters the children were shot while they were praying. FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting will be probed as a hate crime against Catholics. He added that the crime was an act of domestic terrorism.
“He just pepper-sprayed through the stained-glass windows into the building, 50 to 100 shots,” an unnamed parent told the Star Tribune. “He killed two kids.”
The parent continued, “This is terrible. This is evil. I don’t know how you defend against this.”
O’Hara said the shooting was a “deliberate act of violence.”
“During the Mass, the gunman approached on the outside, on the side of the building, and began firing a rifle through the church windows towards the children sitting in the pews at the Mass,” he said. “Shooting through the windows, he struck children and worshipers that were inside the building.”
Both Frey and O’Hara referred to the shooter as a “coward.” Authorities have not released the suspect’s name, but the chief said the shooter was in their early 20s and did not have an extensive criminal history, which is consistent with Westman.
“These kids were literally praying,” Frey said of the massacre. “It was the first week of school. They were in a church. These are kids who should be learning with their friends. They should be playing on the playground. They should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence. And their parents should have the same kind of assurance.”
O’Hara said the murderer took their own life in the parking lot and did not survive. Westman was armed with a shotgun, rifle, and a handgun. A potential motive for the shooting has not been released.
The police department of the nearby city of Richfield wrote on Facebook that the suspect was “dressed in all black and armed with a rifle.”
The church’s website says that a PreK-8 school operates on its premises. Helen Corkran, director of pastoral care at the school, told the Star Tribune that there were no red flags in the buildup to Wednesday’s shooting. She said that the morning Mass was the first of the school year and was set to last 30 minutes.
The FBI and ATF announced they each responded to the scene.
The Star Tribune reported that one of its journalists was outside his home near the shooting when shots rang out. He heard gunfire that lasted between 45 seconds and a minute, the paper reported.
President Donald Trump was among the hundreds of public officials sharing a statement about the shooting. The Star Tribune reported that Trump called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election, and offered his condolences. Walz reportedly thanked the president for the call.
“I have been fully briefed on the tragic shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “The FBI quickly responded, and they are on the scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!”
