A Minneapolis community has been left reeling after 23-year-old Robin Westman opened fire at Annunciation Church, killing two children and injuring 17 others during a back-to-school mass.
Neighbors of Westman say they are struggling to make sense of how someone they knew as “happy” and “kind” could commit such a horrific act.
James Loveridge, who lived next door, told The U.S. Sun he was stunned to learn the shooter was his neighbor. “I just spent time in their backyard, hanging out with them. She seemed fine,” he said of Westman, who legally changed their name from Robert Paul Westman in 2020. “No idea. She seemed happy just literally two weeks ago. Had a new, good job that she really liked. I used to take her climbing. I just don’t understand how any of this happened and why.”
Loveridge described the Westman family as “wonderful, kind, generous, amazing people,” adding: “They’ve been the best neighbors I could ever imagine. And this is an absolute tragedy.”
The attack unfolded just before 8:30AM on Wednesday, as children and parents gathered inside Annunciation Church for a mass marking the first week of school.
According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, Westman approached the side of the church armed with multiple weapons and began firing through the stained-glass windows directly into the pews filled with children.
“During the mass, a gunman began firing a rifle through the church windows towards the children,” O’Hara said. Witnesses recalled hearing 30–50 shots ring out as terrified kids tried to shield themselves and hide inside the building.
Two children, aged eight and ten, were killed. Fourteen other minors and three adults were injured but are expected to survive.
Police said Westman was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. When officers arrived, they found Westman dead inside the church from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In the hours leading up to the shooting, Westman uploaded a chilling video to YouTube where they displayed an arsenal of weapons, ammunition, and handwritten letters addressed to their parents, siblings, and friends.
The video also featured disturbing giggles and mutterings as Westman showed off a manifesto that included sketches of a church layout, per BBC. On some of their weapons, they had scribbled disturbing messages, including the word "Rupnow", which was in reference to Nashville school shooter Natalie Rupnow.
One letter reportedly ended with: “Pray for the victims and their families. I love you all. I will remember you.”
Parents who were inside the church described scenes of chaos and terror as bullets sprayed through the windows. One child, Endre Gunter Jr., was hit in the stomach but survived after emergency surgery. His grandmother told local reporters: “He saw flesh fly. A girl next to him got hit in the head. This is terrible. This is evil.”
Westman’s mother had once worked at the church, though no motive has been confirmed by police. Authorities continue to investigate how and why Westman, who by all accounts seemed “happy” just weeks before, carried out such a devastating attack.