The gunman who killed two children and injured at least 17 others in Minneapolis has been identified as Robin Westman, and investigators are now looking into a series of YouTube videos allegedly uploaded to his account just hours before the attack, according to a New York Post report citing law enforcement officials.
According to KARE11, citing police sources, Westman previously used the name Robert Westman. His mother worked at the school, and he legally changed his name to Robin in 2020, at the age of 17. A further story from the Daily Mail, citing Minnesota station KTSP, also confirmed his identity.
Images of Westman quickly spread across social media, alongside claims that he had shared a manifesto and anti-Trump content online. Journalist Colin Rugg, co-owner of Trending Politics, posted one such photo on X. However, News18 noted that it could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos and images circulating online.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara called the attack "a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and people of faith," and denounced the "sheer cruelty and cowardice" of firing into a packed church, according to Reuters. Notably, O'Hara did not publicly disclose the shooter's name in his remarks.
The incident occurred just two days into the school year at Annunciation Catholic School, a private elementary school affiliated with a Roman Catholic parish in southeast Minneapolis that serves approximately 395 pupils. Television images showed distraught parents scurrying beneath police tape as they rushed to get their children to safety.
Police later revealed that at least two chapel doors had been barricaded from the outside with wooden planks. Westman was armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol at the time of the assault, though officials stated he did not have a significant criminal record.
According to Reuters, investigators are now reviewing multiple online videos to determine if they were indeed posted by Westman, with two sources confirming the probe on condition of anonymity.
