Minneapolis church shooter had an official name change
Fox News correspondent CB Cotton has the latest on the tragedy that killed two children and injured 17 on 'The Five.'
Police have identified 23-year-old Robin Westman as the shooter responsible for opening fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, where they said two children were killed and 17 people injured during morning Mass.
The killer was carrying three firearms, according to authorities – a rifle, a pistol and a shotgun. All three had been purchased legally.
Court records show that a Minneapolis juvenile named Robert Westman had a legal name change to Robin in 2019, and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the shooter was born Robert and later identified as Robin.
Robin M. Westman was previously known as Robert Paul Westman, according to the filing.
MINNESOTA SCHOOL SHOOTING GUNMAN KILLS 2 CHILDREN, INJURES 17 OTHERS DURING CATHOLIC MASS
An undated driver’s license photo shows Robin M. Westman, 23, identified by police as the gunman who opened fire during a Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. Westman’s identity in the photo was confirmed by two Fox News sources. (Obtained by Fox News)
"Minor child [redacted] identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification," according to a court form filled out by a mother named Mary Grace Westman.
The name Mary Grace Westman also appeared on the school's Facebook feed in 2021 – identified as the parish secretary ahead of her retirement party. She did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Prior to the name change, the younger Westman attended Annunciation through the eighth grade, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. Westman struggled to find a permanent high school at first and later attended the all-boys St. Thomas Academy.
SHOOTING AT MINNEAPOLIS CATHOLIC CHURCH LEAVES 2 CHILDREN DEAD, 17 INJURED
Screenshots from a YouTube video posted by Robin M. Westman, 23, show the suspect police identified as the gunman in the Aug. 27, 2025, Minneapolis church school shooting. (Obtained by Fox News)
After high school, Westman reportedly worked for a marijuana dispensary, but only briefly, according to the paper.
Disturbing videos posted by a person using the name Robin Westman were deleted from YouTube after the shooting, showing handwritten pages of a notebook, weapons with messages painted on them, and commentary from whoever filmed them.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed that police were "aware of a manifesto the shooter had timed to be released on YouTube."
"[It] appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writing," the chief said.
‘DISGUSTED’ ACTIVIST RESPONDS AFTER CATHOLIC SCHOOL SHOOTER NAMES HIM IN CLIP
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sits on steps of the Annunciation Church's school as police respond to a reported mass shooting, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)
He added that all three firearms used in the attack had been purchased legally by Westman, who had no prior criminal record.
Westman had an uncle named Bob Heleringer, who served as a Kentucky lawmaker in the 1980s and 1990s, according to The Associated Press. He is the brother of Mary Grace Westman.
"He was my nephew, and I wish he had shot me instead of innocent schoolchildren," Heleringer told the outlet. "I barely knew him."
Heleringer said he hadn't seen that part of the family in several years, when they all attended a family wedding.
"It's an unspeakable tragedy," he said. "We’re praying for my sister and her other children and also, obviously, for these poor, poor children."
MINNEAPOLIS RESIDENT DESCRIBES RUSHING TO SCENE OF CHURCH SHOOTING
Photograph showing the exterior of suspected Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman's residence on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Richfield, Minn. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
Police were serving four search warrants – one at the crime scene and three more at residences in the Minneapolis metro area. Police seized additional writings and hundreds of pieces of evidence from those residential locations, he said.
"Everything that we've seen so far is really a classic pathway to an active shooter," O'Hara told NBC Thursday morning. "We have seen a whole lot of hate against a whole variety of people and what we have seen so far, but nothing specific to point to as the motive for targeting this church and this particular incident."
The attack took place at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday morning. Westman is believed to have ties to the parish.
Two children were killed. Authorities said the shooter committed suicide after the act.
Community members embrace after a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)
Ten victims were taken to Hennepin Healthcare, which said it had received one adult and six children in critical condition and another adult and two more children with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Police said later that all of the injured victims were expected to survive their wounds.
Three children were still receiving care at Children’s Minnesota while four other patients were discharged, the hospital told Fox News Digital.
"Our thoughts are with all the victims, their families and loved ones in our communities who are impacted by yet another senseless act of violence," the hospital said in a statement. "We will not share more details to respect the privacy of our patients and families."
An officer hugs a victim following reports of a shooting that targeted a Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, 2025. (KMSP)
Police said the attacker was a male dressed in black and carrying a black rifle.
The suspect's relationship to the school is also unknown, and it has not been confirmed whether the suspect had any connection to any students or staff.
The Children’s Minnesota Hospital said six children are being treated after the shooting. The hospital would not share details about the patients out of respect for them and their loved ones.
An officer with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Aug. 27, 2025. (Ben Brewer/Reuters)
Police said 17 people were injured, including 14 children. Two of the 17 people injured are in critical condition.
President Donald Trump and other federal and state leaders have already remarked on the shooting. Trump confirmed that the FBI has launched an investigation, which FBI Director Patel later said would investigate the shooting as both a hate crime and terrorism.
"The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics," he announced in an X post.
Patel said two children died. They were 8 and 10 years old.
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The Minneapolis Police Department shared a message from the city of Minneapolis confirming "there is no active threat to the community at this time," and "the shooter is contained."
Fox News' Louis Casiano, Stephen Sorace, Kyle Schmidbauer and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
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