Robin Westman A 'Transgender' 'Anti-Trump' Phrases On Guns: What We Know About Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A deadly shooting took place at the Annunciation Church's Catholic school in Minneapolis, located in the US state of Minnesota, on Wednesday (local time) as students prayed during their first week back to school.

A heavily-armed shooter opened fire on August 27 on school children attending a church service in Minneapolis .

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City police chief Brian O'Hara said that the attacker sprayed bullets through the windows of the Annunciation Church as dozens of young students were at a Mass marking their first week back at school, news agency AFP reported.

Who was the shooter? What was the motive behind the shooting? Were there any casualties? Here's all you need to know:

Were there any casualties in the Minneapolis shooting incident?

Two pupils were killed, and 17 people were injured in the latest violent tragedy. "Two young children, ages eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews," O'Hara said.

Police said 14 of the injured were children, ages 6 to 15, and they are all expected to survive, while three elderly parishioners were also shot.

The shooting went on for several minutes, according to a man living near the church, who said he heard as many as 50 shots.

What we know about the shooter?

Minnesota shooter who opened fire in the church of a Minneapolis Catholic School, killing two children, was identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman.

Westman reportedly fired a rifle, shotgun and pistol before dying by suicide in the parking lot.

Police Chief O'Hara said the shooter Robin Westman did not have an extensive known criminal history, acted alone and legally purchased the weapons recently.

Federal officials referred to Westman as transgender, and the mayor decried hatred being directed at“our transgender community,” the Associated Press reported.

Westman's gender identity is not clear. In 2020 a judge approved a petition, signed by Westman's mother, asking for a name change from Robert to Robin, saying the petitioner“identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”

During a press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed, ""Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity. We should not be operating out of a place of hate."

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Police said they are aware of video material apparently time-released by the suspected shooter and of possible writings shared by the person.

A YouTube channel titled Robin W had at least two videos that were captured before being taken down by the site. Accoridng to reports, he had uploaded a YouTube short showing his manifesto just hours before opening fire at Annunciation Catholic School.

In one that lasts about 10 minutes, the alleged shooter shows weapons and ammunition. Many have sayings written on them, including the phrases“kill Donald Trump” and“Where is your God?” Some are in Cyrillic.

The person holds up a letter to relatives, sings the word“tomorrow” and says,“I'm sorry to my family ... that's the only people I'm sorry to.”

A second, almost 20-minute video shows two journals with stickers, some depicting weapons. The alleged shooter flips to what looks to be a drawing of the layout of the church, points to two outside windows and then stabs the illustration with a long knife.

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As per reports, Robin Westman's YouTube Channel "contained several video consisting of guns, a manifesto in Russian and English, as well as a map of the Annunciation Church."

"In the videos, Westman shows his manifesto and guns painted with Pro-Russian, Pro-Trans, Pro-Communist, Anti-Trump, Anti-Christian, Anti-Semitic, Anti-Indian, and multiple other slogans from current controversial topics and online memes," a social media post claimed.

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The Minneapolis shooting is being investigated as domestic terrorism. In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.

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