Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman is a transgender woman whose mother worked at the school where two children were slaughtered.
Court records seen by Daily Mail indicate that Westman had previously been known as Robert, having petitioned to have her name changed in 2019.
According to court papers filed in Dakota County, Minnesota, Westman asked the court to change her name to Robin.
Westman had her mother Mary sign the application for a name change as she was still a minor at the time.
The request to change Westman’s name was granted in January 2020, stating that Westman “identifies as female and wishes her name to align with that identity.”
It has since emerged that her mother was an employee at the school before she retired in 2021.
Court receipts indicate her family paid $311 in fees to have her name changed to Robin.
Court records seen by Daily Mail indicate that Westman had previously been known as Robert, having petitioned to have her name changed in 2019
Documents reviewed by Daily Mail reveal that Westman had sought legal approval for a name change, citing her female identification as the reason.
On Wednesday morning, Westman fired shots through the stained glass windows at children seated in the pews of Annunciation Catholic School’s church, and then turned the weapon on herself, according to officials.
In the tragic incident, two children, aged eight and ten, lost their lives. At least 17 others—comprising 14 children and three adults—were reported injured, authorities confirmed.
A now-deleted YouTube account believed to belong to Westman shared what appeared to be a manifesto just hours before the shooting.
Police are looking into the disturbing 20-minute video, according to The New York Post.
The footage seems to depict a sketch of a church, followed by an individual repeatedly stabbing the illustration while quietly uttering, “I’m going to kill myself.”
Additional videos uploaded on the YouTube channel display various gun parts alongside a semi-automatic rifle and shotgun. Notably, the gun components were marked with the names of other mass shooters.
One of the parts has a message on it aimed at President Donald Trump, calling for him to be killed.
Police said the gunman parked her vehicle near the school and they will be investigating it as part of their probe.
Court receipts indicate her family paid $311 in fees to have her name changed to Robin
Police Westman parked her vehicle near the school and they will be investigating it as part of their probe
One of the messages scrawled on the firearm called for President Donald Trump to be killed
A parent hugs her son during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church
Officials said in a press conference the shooter was armed with three guns – a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. He fired all three weapons during the attack, police said.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter approached the side of the church and shot through the windows toward the children sitting in the pews.
It is unclear if the shooter fired any of the weapons from inside the church or carried out the entire mass shooting outside before going inside.
Police said at least two of the church doors appeared to have been blocked by two by fours before the shooting, suggesting the gunman wanted to trap the people inside.
O’Hara said: ‘The coward who fired these shots ultimately took his own life in the rear of the church’.
He added: ‘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.’
The students at the Catholic grade school had started school on Monday and were attending mass when the shooter stormed the church, which is connected to the school.
Founded in 1923, Annunciation Catholic School had 391 students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The school goes from pre-K to eighth grade.
