Murray Edwards

On August 27, 2025, a horrific mass shooting unfolded at Annunciation Catholic School in south Minneapolis, Minnesota, during a morning Mass celebrating the first week of the school year. The attack claimed the lives of two children, aged 8 and 10, and left 17 others injured, including 14 children and three adults. The shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, born Robert Westman, opened fire through the church windows using a rifle, shotgun, and pistol. Westman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the church parking lot.

Westman graduated from Annunciation Catholic School’s grade school in 2017 and his mother, Mary Grace Westman, worked at the school as an administrative assistant until she retired in 2021.

According to court records, Westman initiated a legal process in Dakota County, Minnesota, at the age of 17 to change his birth name from Robert to Robin. The request for a name change was officially approved in January 2020; his mother signed the documents authorizing his name change.

As of this time, his mother has not responded to request from law enforcement to discuss the matter and has hired legal counsel.

FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the incident is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics. Authorities recovered a manifesto that had been posted by Westman on YouTube to coincide with the time of the shooting, has since been removed, are analyzing its contents. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara described the attack as deliberate and cruel, noting that wooden two-by-fours were placed in door handles to trap victims inside. All injured victims are receiving treatment at Hennepin Healthcare and Children’s Minnesota and are expected to survive.

It is important to recognize that Governor Walz of Minnesota was approached on two occasions within the past two years by the Minnesota Catholic Conference, identified by the National Catholic Register as “the public policy voice of Minnesota’s six dioceses”, with explicit requests for enhanced security against school shootings. These security measures are currently provided to public schools.

Governor Walz denied their request.

Minneapolis is currently experiencing an increase in shooting incidents. Within the 24 hours preceding the school attack, three separate shootings occurred in the city. On Tuesday afternoon, a shooting near Cristo Rey Jesuit High School resulted in one fatality and six injuries. That evening, another incident in the Whittier neighborhood left one individual dead and another injured. Early Wednesday, a third shooting in downtown Minneapolis led to one death and another person wounded. Authorities are investigating possible links among these incidents; however, no arrests have been reported at this time.

Chief O’Hara described the recent surge in gun violence as “deeply unsettling,” highlighting increasing concern within the community. The succession of shootings has prompted further debate regarding public safety measures and firearm regulation in Minneapolis and the wider region. While the city grieves these losses, authorities are actively investigating the motives and circumstances associated with these incidents.

Of course, we can expect that the debate over increasing gun control measures versus addressing mental health issues to once again become a major topic by the politicos.

The Left will demand more restrictions on individuals in order to obtain gun ownership, more “Red Flag” laws and banning the purchase of any gun that “they” consider an assault weapon.

The Right will push that schools should have security on staff and the mental health issue, which in this case and other mass shootings, the mental health of Westman has to be one of the driving reasons – how would anyone, based on his manifesto, be filled with so much hate and distain to carry out such a horrific act?