On Wednesday, investigators in Minneapolis gathered extensive evidence related to mass shootings that took place at Catholic schools and churches. This evidence includes suspected devices that might have been used for storing weapons and smoke bombs.
Transgender mass shooter Robin Westman tragically killed two children and injured 18 others, all while armed with a Taurus semi-automatic pistol, a Mossberg pump-action shotgun, and a Magpur semi-automatic rifle, as reported.
A hard drive was among the 158 personal items recovered by police from various locations connected to Westman.
According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, Westman’s firearms were lawfully purchased. Notably, Westman did not have any documented history of mental illness.
Police found over 116 shell casings at the scene, indicating that Westman fired indiscriminately into a church filled with middle school students.
Additionally, a wooden board with gas containers and metal pull pins was recovered, along with other items like a knife, green fingerless gloves, black mechanic gloves, headphones, and a gray zip-up sweatshirt.
Westman’s disturbing manifesto contained scribbles about his struggles, including references to seeing a “demon” in the bathroom mirror.
The shooter arrived at the church in a commercial van registered to his father, James Westman. Police reportedly located the rifle inside a van parked behind the church.
From James Westman’s home in Litchfield, authorities retrieved a tactical vest, two external storage devices, an iPhone, USB drives, and over 150 other pieces of evidence.
James Westman informed police that his son, who changed his name to Robin in 2020, recently ended a relationship with a partner living nearby.
The manifesto also revealed troubling thoughts, expressing feelings toward his mother’s warnings about his transition. In a YouTube video posted shortly before the attack, he wrote that his mother’s words contributed to his sense of despair, stating, “You were the right mom, but your way of dealing with it pushed me toward violence.”
Westman further lamented about the confusion he felt regarding gender identity and substance use, asserting, “Don’t let your child smoke weeds or change genders until they’re about 17.”
In this tragic event, Westman killed 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moysky. He had begun praying at Announcement Church just before 8:30 a.m. when gunfire shattered the church’s stained glass windows.
Several additional victims, including 12-year-old Sophie Faucha and 13-year-old Endor Gunter, remain hospitalized and in critical condition.
