by Logan Andrew | FreeWire Magazin — Your News, Your Voice
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 28, 2025 — An assailant armed with three recently purchased firearms opened fire from outside a Catholic church in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, killing two children and wounding 17 others before taking his own life, authorities said.
Police identified the gunman as Robin Westman, 23, a former student of Annunciation Catholic School who had legally acquired a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. Investigators said Westman fired dozens of rounds through stained‑glass windows as pre‑kindergarten through eighth‑grade students attended their first Mass of the school year.
Two victims, ages 8 and 10, died at the scene; fourteen injured students aged 6 to 18 and three parishioners in their 80s were expected to survive. A possible smoke bomb was recovered at the crime scene, and police found several church exits had been barricaded with wooden planks. Staff and older children shielded younger students and evacuated them within minutes, actions that officials said saved many lives.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshiping,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters. “The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.” The shooting marked the 146th incident of gun violence at a U.S. primary or secondary school this year.
Westman died from a self‑inflicted gunshot wound outside the church. Authorities said the shooter acted alone and had no criminal record. Public records show Westman, born Robert Westman, legally changed her name in 2020, stating in court filings that she identified as female. Homeland Security Secretary Kristie Noem said investigators were treating the attack as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.
Law‑enforcement agencies were examining a video “manifesto” posted online before the attack. The video reportedly revealed that Westman struggled with depression and expressed admiration for the perpetrators of previous mass shootings. Some of Westman’s notes were written in a mix of Cyrillic and English, blending personal grievances with references to other infamous shootings.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey cautioned against politicizing the shooter’s gender identity. “Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity,” he said.
The tragedy drew nationwide attention. President Donald Trump ordered flags flown at half‑staff and reiterated calls for stricter school security. Local parents and clergy organized vigils and urged solidarity. “Please pray, and don’t stop with your words,” said Annunciation Principal Matthew DeBoer, holding back tears. “This can never, ever happen again.”
