As investigators continue to piece together the timeline and motivation behind the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, new and unsettling details are emerging about the shooter—and the deeply personal connections that may have played a role in this act of terror.
Robert “Robin” Westman, the 17-year-old shooter who killed two children and injured dozens during a morning Mass, was not a stranger to the school. His mother, Mary Grace Westman, had been employed there as a secretary. Her name appears in an archived farewell letter from one of the church’s priests, posted on the church’s website—a quiet but chilling reminder that this wasn’t a random act, and this wasn't a distant institution. This was a community he knew.
Lots of details everywhere, but here is the simple rundown: pic.twitter.com/p5zE2PQvbI
— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) August 27, 2025
The layers of familiarity here suggest a level of premeditation that goes beyond impulse or opportunity. This was someone with a personal connection to the institution—a connection that now casts a long, tragic shadow.
Westman, who identified as a female and legally changed his name in 2019 with the help of his mother’s consent, left behind a disturbing trail of digital content. Videos that have since surfaced on social media show a calm, calculated display of what appear to be his weapons and writings. One clip reveals a notebook, presumably his manifesto, being flipped through page by page. In another, the camera lingers on firearms adorned with hand-scrawled phrases like “Release the list”—a reference to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal—along with “Israel must fall” and “Kill Trump Now!”
Here's the first video. pic.twitter.com/EVWE3Z5Qxc
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 27, 2025
These aren’t idle scribbles. They’re ideological markers. Alongside them were the names of infamous mass shooters etched onto his magazines: Adam Lanza, James Holmes, Charles Whitman, and others. The message was clear—Westman saw himself as part of a lineage. A legacy of violence.
That’s not just disturbing—it’s a red flag drenched in neon. This was not only a young man with an arsenal and an ideology, but one who saw violence as a form of expression and identity.
The timing, too, appears intentional. The attack took place on the first full day of school—a day traditionally filled with hope, reunions, and fresh starts. Instead, it ended in bloodshed.
Here's the first video. pic.twitter.com/EVWE3Z5Qxc
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 27, 2025
Authorities are still investigating. They’re working to understand what drove Westman to target this specific place, on this specific day. But the evidence already paints a picture of someone who had been stewing in darkness for years—nurturing grievances, idolizing past killers, and ultimately acting with chilling deliberation.