MINNEAPOLIS — New details emerged from freshly released search warrants indicating that the gunman who opened fire during a Catholic Mass in Minneapolis had died at the back of the church, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Robin Westman, aged 23, was found outfitted in black tactical gear with at least two guns nearby following Wednesday morning’s deadly assault at Annunciation Catholic Church. The attack resulted in the deaths of two children, while 18 other congregants sustained injuries, police reported.
The search warrant for the church detailed the seizure of three weapons: a Taurus semiautomatic pistol, a Mossberg pump-action shotgun, and a Magpul semiautomatic rifle. Detectives also discovered a wooden board outfitted with a gas canister and a metal pull pin — items that were possibly intended to create a smoke bomb.
Investigators also said they collected a knife, green fingerless gloves, black mechanic gloves, headphones and a gray zip-up sweatshirt.
A commercial van, identified as a 2015 Ram ProMaster City, was spotted behind the church with one of its rear doors ajar and a rifle case visible to investigating officers. It was registered to Westman’s father, James Westman.
In discussions with authorities post-incident, James Westman confirmed that Robin was his child and the van’s driver. He mentioned that Robin had been residing in the neighboring suburb of Richfield before a breakup with a romantic partner led to a temporary stay with a friend in St. Louis Park, as recorded in the search warrant.
Additionally, James informed the police that his child previously attended the Annunciation Church and school, noting that his former spouse, Robin’s mother, was once an employee there.
At the father’s home, police recovered a tactical vest, two external media storage devices and miscellaneous documents, according to the search warrant.
In total, police listed 100 pieces of evidence, including T-shirts, bullets and cartridges, to be tested by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. A Minneapolis Police Department property report also lists 158 pieces of evidence, including the guns, the items appearing to belong to the shooter, and a USB and iPhone taken from the vehicle.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters Thursday that Robin Westman’s family has been cooperating with investigators, although they had not spoken to his mother, Mary Grace Westman. Records show that she has a residence in Florida and that she has hired a criminal defense attorney, Ryan Garry. He declined to comment Thursday.
Police have not said whether Mary Grace Westman or any family members potentially face charges. O’Hara said that the weapons used in the shooting were recently legally purchased and that there was no previous indication that Robin Westman, who was a transgender woman, suffered from mental illness. Westman had no police record, besides a traffic ticket.
Investigators are continuing to search for a clear motive for the attack and what led Westman to fire a rifle through the side windows of Annunciation Catholic School’s church, aiming at children sitting in the pews, just before 8:30 a.m.
Two children, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, were killed. Fifteen other children, ages 6 to 15, were injured, as well as three adult parishioners in their 80s.
Westman left behind videos online with disturbing content and writings that referred to suicide.
The FBI’s special agent in charge in Minneapolis, Alvin Winston Sr., said the agency had not had any previous contact with the shooter.
FBI Director Kash Patel called the attack “an act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology.”
Police are continuing to review the online videos posted by Westman, in which the shooter wrote racial slurs, a homophobic slur, antisemitic messages, a call for President Donald Trump’s death and references to the Holocaust and the Catholic Church.
Besides the church and James Westman’s home, two other nearby residences associated with the shooter were searched as part of the investigation.
“ditional firearms are being recovered from those residences as we speak,” O’Hara told reporters Wednesday.
Brianna Seidl, a neighbor of the home in St. Louis Park where Westman had been living, said Friday that she would see Westman occasionally rollerblading or skateboarding in the neighborhood. Police swarmed the home on Wednesday just before 11 a.m., Seidl said, and called on a loudspeaker for a resident to come out.
Police put caution tape around the scene and carted out boxes, she added.
The resident “was very compliant with them. Kind of seemed like whatever you got to do, do it, type of situation,” Seidl said.
Selina Guevara reported from Minneapolis, Erik Ortiz from New York and Cat Corrigan from Chicago.
