What began as a peaceful student Mass ended in unspeakable terror when a lone gunman opened fire inside a Minneapolis church on August 27, 2025, targeting children in their pews and leaving the community reeling from unthinkable loss.

Authorities have now identified the shooter, who left a trail of disturbing online content and a handwritten manifesto revealing years of inner turmoil.

Shooting Shatters Sacred Service

The congregation had gathered at Annunciation Church when gunfire erupted — tearing through stained glass windows and shattering the sanctuary’s peace. According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, the attacker “began firing a rifle through church windows.”

O’Hara added, “The shooter fired towards the children sitting in the pews at the Mass.” He stated that a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol were all fired during the assault.

The City of Minneapolis issued a public alert, urging residents to avoid the area. First responders arrived swiftly, but the toll was already devastating: two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed. Meanwhile, 17 others were wounded, 14 of them children. Two remain in critical condition.

A Troubled Suspect with a Dark Trail

Authorities named the shooter as Robin Westman, a local resident in her early 20s. O’Hara said Westman is believed to be dead. According to KSTP, Westman legally changed her name from Robert in 2020 and is reported to have identified as a woman.

Westman had no extensive criminal history, but a now-deleted YouTube channel showed videos with firearms, anti-religious symbols, white supremacist imagery, and racial slurs.

Also recovered was a handwritten, four-page manifesto, which documented years of mental deterioration, hopelessness, and emotional isolation.

Westman opens with an admission that forgiveness is unlikely and any apology would ring hollow. Even so, she directs a remorseful note to her family and those closest to her, acknowledging the damage her actions will inflict on their lives.

Westman further wrote, “I have wanted this for so long. I am not well. I am not right. I am a sad person, haunted by these thoughts that do not go away. I know this is wrong, but I can’t seem to stop myself.”

Eyewitness Recounts Horror as Parents Describe Panic

Among the terrified children inside was fifth-grader Weston Halse, who later recounted the chaos. According to KSTP, he quickly hid under a pew as the gunfire erupted and then noticed specks of gunpowder dusting his neck.

“My friend Victor, like, saved me though ’cause he laid on top of me, but he got hit,” he shared in a separate CBS interview

Halse and other students were ushered into the gym, where the doors were locked to keep the shooter out. He was later reunited with his mother.

He explained how he felt when he saw his mom, “I was super happy because I was scared that I wasn’t gonna see her ’cause I didn’t know what was happening, really. I was just in shock. It was like right beside me. I was like two seats away from the stained glass windows. So they were like, the shots were like right next to me.”

Regarding his friend’s condition, Halse admitted he was “super scared for him,” but felt relieved when he learned his friend had been taken to the hospital, and he believes he’s okay.

Carla Maldonado, a parent whose two children survived, described the panic she and her husband, Pedro, felt when they arrived at the church. Her husband began shouting for their children in fear, before they found their 7-year-old daughter in the parking lot. Their 11-year-old son had been hiding in the basement.

“I have such mixed feelings right now, so many of them,” Maldonado shared. “But I am just incredibly grateful that this school did and had been preparing and also just incredibly sad and angry that this has to be a thing in any school.”

She said school shootings have become so common, they feel “like a broken record.” Maldonado added that many parents share the same fear and frustration, and emphasized that even one life lost is too many.

The US President Calls for Prayer as Flags Lowered

President Donald Trump addressed the tragedy on Truth Social, “I have been fully briefed on the tragic shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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!”

He ordered all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset on August 31 in memory of the victims, including at the White House, federal buildings, military posts, and naval installations.

The same applies to all U.S. diplomatic and other federal facilities abroad, including military sites and naval vessels/stations.