Minneapolis Church Shooting: Transgender Gunman Targets Catholic School, Antisemitic Messages Found
A transgender shooter, Robin Westman, killed two children and injured 17 at a Minneapolis Catholic school, leaving both anti-Semitic and anti-Christian messages on her weapons.
On August 27, 2025, a tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis left two children, aged 8 and 10, dead and 17 others injured, including 14 children, during a morning Mass. The shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a transgender woman who changed her name from Robert six years ago, opened fire through the church’s windows with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara called the act “absolutely incomprehensible,” stating, “This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.” Westman, whose mother worked at the school until 2021, legally purchased the weapons and had no significant criminal history.
Authorities found a smoke bomb but no explosives, and a wooden plank was used to barricade side doors. Officers responded swiftly, providing first aid and rescuing children hiding in the building. The school was evacuated, and families reunited at a designated zone amid emotional scenes of children in green uniforms embracing loved ones. FBI Director Kash Patel classified the attack as domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics.
Pre-attack YouTube videos, since removed, showed Westman displaying ammunition marked with names of infamous shooters like Adam Lanza and Anders Breivik, alongside antisemitic phrases such as “Israel must fall,” “6 million wasn’t enough,” and “Jew gas” on a smoke grenade. Other inscriptions included “Kill Donald Trump” and anti-Christian messages like “Where is your G-d?” The attack, occurring amid a 140% rise in U.S. anti-Semitic incidents since October 2023, per the Anti-Defamation League, reflects a broader surge in extremism, with Westman’s actions echoing Hamas propaganda and violent rhetoric against Jews and religious groups.
