19 people shot, 2 killed, at Catholic school mass in Minneapolis

A transgender woman armed with a rifle opened fire during morning mass at a Catholic elementary school in Minneapolis, killing 2 children and injuring at least 17 others, according to local officials. The suspect is dead.

The incident began just before 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday when officers were called for an active shooter at Annunciation Church, which is located at 509 W 54th Street. It’s also home to a K-8 school with morning mass at 8:15 a.m.

“When they arrived, officers discovered that the shooter fired through a church window from the outside of the building, where dozens of children were sitting in the pews while attending mass on the first week of school,” the city said in a statement.

Police said two students – an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old were killed, while 17 other people were injured, including 14 children between the ages of 4 and 15. Local hospitals, however, said an 18th person was also injured.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, acted alone and died in the parking lot from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Westman was born as Robert and changed their legal name to Robin at the age of 17, identifying as a woman.

Westman filmed an 11-minute video before the shooting which was automatically posted to YouTube at 9 a.m., about 30 minutes after the shooting. In the video, Westman shows a letter to his family and the weapons he used in the shooting.

Westman also showed magazines which were covered with writings, including racist, antisemitic, anti-religion and anti-Trump expressions. He also praised Anders Behring Breivik, the neo-Nazi who carried out a deadly attack in Norway in 2011, and mentioned the names of other mass shooters and white nationalists.

“I didn’t ask for life,” Westman said at one point in the video. “I’m sorry to my family. But that’s it, that’s the only people I’m sorry to. F*** those kids.”

On Truth Social, President Donald Trump said: “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!”

Police said there was no known link to a series of shootings in Minneapolis on Tuesday, for which no arrests have been made. One of those shootings happened near Cristo Rey High School, killing 1 person and injuring 6 others. This was followed by 2 other shootings at night, killing 2 more people and injuring 2 others.