A haunting memoir penned by the Minneapolis shooter during his time at a military-like academy has surfaced following the tragedy that claimed the lives of two children on Wednesday.

At the age of 23, Robin Westman, once called ‘Robert,’ crafted a piece called ‘But Not The End,’ expressing fears of dying without being known for something significant, as noted by the Star Tribune.

This unsettling reflection emerged during Westman’s tenure as a student at St. Thomas Academy, an all-boys Catholic school in Mendota Heights, Minneapolis, where students are addressed as cadets, donned in uniforms, and receive military training.

Westman’s academic history reveals he attended several schools amidst a challenging upbringing that featured a brief three-month stint at one school, witnessing parental separation, and grappling with gender identity issues.

Documentation accessible to the Daily Mail indicates Westman submitted a request in 2019 to legally alter his name to Robin M. Westman. The documents, lodged in Dakota County, Minnesota, show Westman, still under 18, had his mother Mary’s endorsement for the name change during his transition to female identity.

It’s unclear how Westman identified more recently. 

The calculated assailant unleashed gunfire with three weapons on the children during prayer time at Annunciation Catholic School — the very school where Westman completed eighth grade in 2017, and where his mother served as a parish secretary.

Two children, aged eight and 10, who are yet to be identified, were killed in the gunfire just before 8am. Seventeen more people – 14 children and three elderly parishioners – were injured but each is expected to survive.

Police said Westman turned the gun on herself after the bloodshed inside the school church. 

The FBI described the attack as a hate crime against Catholics, while police are still investigating the motive. 

Thousands of distraught parents and pupils packed out the Academy of Holy Angels High School gymnasium on Wednesday night to pay tribute to the children killed. A candlelit vigil was also held at nearby Lynnhurst Park. 

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar also turned up to pay their respects, and Walz condemned the ‘evil and horror’ of the attack. 

Parents were seen breaking down in tears as children clutched each other while trying to come to terms with the horror which unfolded in their hometown. 

The suspect’s own mother, Mary Grace Westman, also broke down in tears as reporters called her and she told them she did not know whether her child was the shooter.  

Westman’s twisted manifesto has also been unearthed in the aftermath of the deadly shooting, offering some clues into what went through the alleged killer’s mind in the build up to the horrific attack. 

Westman shared the manifesto during a video posted via their since-deleted YouTube account.  

In the 20-minute-long video, Westman first showed off a kill kit of ammunition, magazines and firearms, while revealing a twisted obsession with school shooters, along with a dislike of President Donald Trump, and mockery of the church.

Westman also showed the camera pages of handwritten notes in a final letter to their family and friends. 

In the letter, Westman claims to have cancer caused by a vaping habit.

‘I think I am dying of cancer. It’s a tragic end as it’s entirely self inflicted. I did this to myself as I cannot control myself and have been destroying my body through vaping and other means,’ the shooter wrote. 

Westman went on to write that they wanted ‘to go out on my own means’.

‘Unfortunately, due to my depression, anger and twisted mind, I want to fulfill a final act that has been in the back of my head for years,’ Westman wrote. 

The note was signed with the name ‘Robin M Westman, 2002-2025’ and what appeared to be a bird drawing.  

As well as the warped letter, the video also showed a stash of gun magazines, with white writing scrawled on them. 

Several school shooters’ names including ‘Lanza’ for Sandy Hook mass shooter Adam Lanza was seen on some of the cartridges. 

One of the other cartridges was labeled: ‘For the children.’

Other unhinged ramblings on Westman’s stash of magazines and guns revealed a  hatred for Donald Trump and mockery of the church.

‘Take this all of you, and eat!’, ‘Do you believe in God?’ and ‘Where is your God?’, read some of the anti-church messages.

‘Kill Donald Trump,’ read another.

Some of the scribbles also appeared to have been written in Russian. 

The video also showed large pieces of wood with ‘No escape’ written across them. 

Police said at least two of the church doors appeared to have been blocked by two by fours before the shooting, suggesting the shooter wanted to trap the people inside. 

At another point, the video showed what appeared to be a drawing of the school’s church. 

It then showed a hand stabbing the drawing repeatedly as the voice behind the camera said: ‘I’m going to kill myself.’

In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, police confirmed the YouTube manifesto belonged to the killer. 

Searches have been executed at homes connected to the shooter. 

Police said that more guns were found at the properties. 

It has since emerged that Westman’s mother was an employee at the school she targeted, before she retired in 2021.

The killer did not have a criminal history and their motive remains a mystery.

President Trump said the US flag would be flown at half-mast at the White House as a show of respect to the victims. 

Melania Trump reacted to the shooting by calling for ‘preemptive intervention’ to detect potential shooters.

The First Lady, a passionate advocate for children, gave a rare public statement in response to the tragedy with a detailed call for solutions to rooting out potential future threats on social media.   

‘The tragic mass killing in Minnesota illuminates the need for pre-emptive intervention in identifying potential school shooters,’ she wrote. 

‘Early warning signs are often evident, with many individuals exhibiting concerning behaviors and making violent threats online prior to their actions,’

‘To prevent future tragedies, it is crucial we look into behavioral threat assessments across all levels of society—beginning in our homes, extending through school districts and of course, social media platforms. 

‘Being aware of these warning signs and acting quickly can save lives and make American communities safer.’ 

According to Everytown for Gun Safety, there have been at least 57 shootings at K-12 schools in 2025, not including the latest tragedy in Minneapolis.

The organization said that 47 people have been shot in total at these previous shootings, and at least 15 were killed.