SICK footage has surfaced of shooter Robin Westman giggling hours before killing two children at a Minneapolis school on Wednesday.
Westman uploaded a video showing off multiple weapons, bullets, and disturbing writings before shooting through stained glass windows at the Catholic school during Mass before dying by suicide.
YouTubeRobin Westman, 23, in a YouTube video that has been deleted since the shooting[/caption]
APStudents and parents reuniting outside Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday[/caption]
YouTubeWestman showed off guns with sick messages on them[/caption]
Two students, aged 8 and 10, were killed in the shooting at Annunciation Church in southern Minneapolis, which started during the worship service at around 8:30 am, police said.
Officials said 14 other kids were hurt in the attack, while three people in their 80s were also injured.
Children rushed out of the building in their school uniforms before being reunited with their families in heartbreaking scenes.
The shooting is now being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Police identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who was found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the parking lot behind the church.
Court records show that Westman’s mom, Mary Grace, applied to change her child’s name in 2019 from Robert Paul Westman to Robin M. Westman, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
The name change was approved in 2020.
What we know so far:
Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed while praying in pews
17 others were injured, including 14 children, and a local hospital is currently treating nine pediatric patients
The suspect has been identified as Robin Westman, 23, whose mother worked at the school until 2021, who died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot
The shooter’s neighbors broke their silence on the tragedy
Westman uploaded a sick video manically laughing minutes before the shooting showing off disturbing messages written across multiple guns, including a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol with several magazines
Sobbing children were evacuated from the church to reunite with their worried parents, with one boy overheard telling his dad, “I don’t feel safe”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he was briefed and is “praying for our kids and teachers”
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation and ordered flags at half-staff to mourn the victims
Westman was connected to the Annunciation Church through Mary Grace, who retired from working there in 2021.
The shooter, who was armed with a rifle, pistol, and handgun, fired shots into the auditorium and reportedly tried to block the doors with a two-by-four, according to police.
All of the guns were purchased legally, authorities said.
Now, investigators are looking into a sick 11-minute video uploaded to YouTube in the hours before the murders, as it appears to be Westman’s manifesto.
HORRIFYING VIDEO
The video was scheduled ahead of time to upload at the time of the shooting, police said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
Westman could be heard maniacally giggling while muttering all alone and showing off writings addressed to loved ones, as well as guns with disturbing messages on them.
One of the guns had “Rupnow” written on it, which is likely a reference to Nashville school shooter Natalie Rupnow, who killed two and hurt six at her Christian school last December.
Other guns had the names of other mass killers, including Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, who murdered 11 in a place of worship in 2018.
Annunciation Catholic School shooting timeline
TWO children have been killed and 17 injured after a lone gunman shrouded in a black outfit opened fire inside a Minnesota Catholic school.
Here is a timeline of how the fatal tragedy unfolded.
On Wednesday morning at 8:15 am CT, students at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis gathered for their scheduled all-school mass
Just before 8:30, Minneapolis police responded to a call that there was a shooting
Cops say that a lone gunman in his early 20s fired a rifle, shotgun, and pistol through the windows as children aged pre-K through eighth grade prayed inside
Two children aged eight and 10 were killed, and 17 others, including 14 children, were injured by the gunfire
The shooter later died after appearing to take his own life at the back of the church
At 9:32 am, the Minneapolis Police Department confirmed that the shooter had been “contained.”
The word Waco was on one of the rifles, referencing the 1993 standoff between extremist David Koresh, his followers, and the FBI that left 76 dead.
Westman wrote “kill Donald Trump” on one gun, “kiss me” on another, and displayed multiple antisemitic phrases on the weapons.
The video also showed the two-by-four plank of wood with the words “no escape!” written on it.
YouTubeWestman held golden bullets in the video uploaded hours before the shooting[/caption]
YouTubeWestman shared a final letter to family in a sick 11-minute video[/caption]
The killer also shared hopes for YouTuber and Texas congressional candidate Brandon Herrera to be president and bragged about meeting him at an event last year.
Herrera is a Second Amendment activist who has been criticized for inflammatory and antisemitic rhetoric.
The candidate’s campaign told The U.S. Sun, “I’m horrified by this clearly hate motivated attack on innocent children and disgusted that my name came out of this demon’s mouth.”
Brandon Herrera’s statement
Brandon Herrera’s campaign shared the following statement with The U.S. Sun:
“I’m horrified by this clearly hate motivated attack on innocent children and disgusted that my name came out of this demon’s mouth. I meet thousands of people every year at SHOT Show in Las Vegas, but I don’t remember this individual at all, nor does anyone I was there with. Nonetheless, I am making myself fully available to the FBI and any other law enforcement agency that have questions. I’m also coordinating with friends in law enforcement to see how my community and I can best support those families affected by this hateful and senseless act.”
Westman’s handwritten letters to his friends and families included a chilling message telling readers to “pray for the victims and their families.”
“I love you all. I will remember you,” Westman wrote.
The writings reference suicide, “extremely violent thoughts and ideas,” and a sketch of a church’s layout, according to NBC News.
It’s unclear if the church depicted is Annunciation Church.
At the end of the video, Westman said, “This will just look like another video on the day that catches you all up.”
Police haven’t publicly identified a motive for the shooting.
APPeople arrive at the Annunciation Church’s school as police respond to a reported mass shooting[/caption]
APA police officer comforts an emotional community member outside Annunciation Church on Wednesday[/caption]
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Westman, who was dressed in all black, was targeting students in a “deliberate act of violence.”
The Minnesota Police Department didn’t immediately return The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
“Children are dead,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
“There are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragedy or the absolute pain of this situation.”
The school, which has students ranging from preschool to eighth grade, had just started its first day of classes on Monday.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
APParents comfort their children after the shooting at Annunciation Church on Wednesday[/caption]
AFPPolice and first responders at Annunciation Church and Catholic School in southern Minneapolis after Robin Westman opened fire during Mass[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
