Mass Shooting at Minneapolis Catholic School: The Shooter’s Troubling Past

A photograph from his early teenage years reveals Robin Westman, a then-high school junior, during a period when he was living as a woman. Dressed in a pink blouse with short, curly brown hair, Westman’s appearance contrasts sharply with his later actions.

Before graduating in 2021, Westman attended Saint Thomas Academy, a military-style Catholic school, and a specialized charter school for students facing academic challenges. These formative years included documented journal entries where he expressed admiration for mass shootings, including those at Sandy Hook, the Pittsburgh synagogue, and Christchurch.

In a confession recorded in a private journal, Westman expressed regret over his transition, blaming his mother’s warning for his distress and violent tendencies. He wrote that he wished he had never become transgender, feeling that his long hair was his last connection to his identity. He also expressed anger about the transition, claiming it caused him deep regret and frustration.

He revealed that his mother’s warnings influenced his destructive actions, stating, “Your words, mother, made me stay in my discomfort unable to ask for help to avoid admitting defeat. You were right mama, but the way you handled it led me to wanting to kill so so many people.”

On the day of the attack, Westman shot and killed eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and ten-year-old Harper Moyski at Annunciation Church, before taking his own life. Several other victims, including Sophie Forchas and Endre Gunter, remain hospitalized in critical condition.