** Editor’s Note: I’m not referring to Westman as the “alleged” or “suspected” shooter in this piece. Westman is now deceased, and law enforcement has publicly named him as the shooter. I hate to use his name as he deserves no fame for his crimes, but the people need to know the kind of evil that lives in the hearts of these mass shooters. – GDM
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Morning of Dark Prayers
Just yesterday—August 27, 2025—at approximately 8:30 a.m., during the first school‑wide Mass of the new term, a shadow struck hard at the heart of faith. Through the stained‑glass windows of Annunciation Catholic Church, a rifle, shotgun, and pistol spat dozens of rounds into the sanctuary as children prayed. Two souls—an 8‑year‑old and a 10‑year‑old—were stolen in a heartbeat. Seventeen more were wounded, including 14 children and three elderly parishioners; many remain hospitalized but are expected to survive. The shooter, identified as 23‑year‑old Robin Marie Westman, died by suicide at the scene.
The shooter was a 2017 graduate of Annunciation’s grade school, the same property he shot up.
Arsenal of Rage: Weapons Displayed with Malice
Westman came armed with three legally purchased weapons, which he had recently acquired:
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A semi‑automatic rifle
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A pump‑action shotgun
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A semi‑automatic pistol
But that’s not all. In one of the premeditative videos posted to YouTube and later archived by investigators, you see more than steel and wood—you see a fever dream of rage on brass and polymer: magazines scrawled with “Kill Donald Trump,” antisemitic, anti‑Black, anti‑Hispanic and anti‑Catholic slurs, the words “6 million wasn’t enough,” and the names of mass shooters like Adam Lanza, Anders Behring Breivik, Brenton Tarrant. They were writing their hate right onto the tools of death.
The Pre-Attack Testimony: Videos and Scribbles of a Mind in Torment
Westman uploaded two YouTube videos—one roughly 10 minutes long, another around 20. They featured a jumbled monologue: suicidal ideation, depressive musings, violent fantasies, and a little massacre blueprint sketch of the church’s interior.
The videos show Westman paging through a grotesque notebook; images of rounds and magazines with scribbles and phrases scrawled across them seemed desperate and venomous, spread across steel surfaces and plastic casings like graffiti in a haunted tunnel.
The lurid videos were quickly taken down by law enforcement, but archived versions are circulating.
Westman introduces his viewers to a shooting target with the image of Jesus and a variety of weapons and magazines spread out on his bed. Phrases were scrawled on the weapons and magazines. Phrases like “kill Donald Trump”, psycho killer and 6 million wasn’t enough”.
The hate here is palpable, spewing forth like bile from a ruptured intestine-sour, violent, and impossible to contain.
On the Trans Identity: Robin Westman’s Name Change
Court records reveal that Westman was born Robert Paul Westman and legally changed the name to Robin around January 2020, citing female identification.
That fact has sparked waves of anti‑trans vitriol online. But city leaders, including Mayor Frey, have urged compassion—not hate—and emphasized that Westman’s identity shouldn’t be used to demonize the transgender community.
No Evidence of Hate-Group Membership—Yet
There is no verified evidence that Westman was affiliated with known hate groups or organizations such as the Order of Nine Angles. Investigators are still sorting through digital breadcrumbs and personal writings. Without credible sources or statements, linking Westman to extremist or occult networks remains speculative.
However, investigations and media reports indicate that Westman held a range of extremist and hateful views. Videos and writings linked to Westman contained violent rhetoric, antisemitic symbols and slogans, anti-Christian messages, racial slurs, and references to mass shooters. Westman also expressed hostility toward Catholics and posted messages recognized as hate speech.
The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and an anti-Catholic hate crime, but there is no confirmation that Westman was formally connected to any organized hate group or extremist network.
Final Voice: Spit-Polished Madness
This morning, Minneapolis stands bloodied, crucified by a warped mind that weaponized poetry of hate. In the wreckage of stained-glass prayers and broken pews, there remain hospitalized children and a handful of adults, expected to survive but forever carrying splintered souls.
Westman’s weapons were more than firearms: they were annotated testaments of rage, carved with slurs, murder-orders, and homage to hated killers. The world grows numb to such things—but in those videos, the static hum and the lined sketches of the church’s interior become precursors to screams we can’t ignore.
Minneapolis will not let this horror define it; the community will lock arms, grieve together, and remind the world that the power of evil will never conquer the living.