MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – Late on Wednesday, neighbors of the alleged Minneapolis shooter Robin Westman conveyed to Fox News Digital that nothing about Westman had ever seemed peculiar. The man and woman, both working in mental health, described Westman as an ordinary resident.
The two, who wished to remain unnamed, noted that Westman appeared to be another typical 23-year-old — juggling work, ordering food delivery, and sometimes hosting friends. They also mentioned that a different woman seemed to reside with Westman at the Lynwood Commons Apartments.
“He didn’t seem any more unusual than the next person,” commented the man. “In the city, you’re surrounded by a variety of eccentric people. What distinguishes one strange person from another?”
An image capturing the outside of the home of suspected Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman was taken in Richfield, Minn. on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. Neighbors from the same complex told Fox News Digital late Wednesday that the shooter appeared like any other tenant, with no odd behaviors noted. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
They were also surprised to learn that Westman did not have a prior criminal record and had no publicly available mental health issues on record.
“Seeing [Westman] daily … in retrospect, you start to think, ‘Should I have noticed something?’” the woman remarked. “Clearly, [Westman] had been struggling with issues for a while. Why did [Westman] not seek help? Why were the signs missed?”
Still, while they stressed that nothing in Westman’s day-to-day life set off alarms, both neighbors were shaken by the events at Annunciation Catholic School.
Westman is accused of opening fire on the Annunciation Catholic School at around 8:30 a.m., while students were praying. Two children died while 14 others were injured along with three seniors. Wetsman, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot after the deadly shooting, was carrying three firearms, according to authorities: a rifle, a pistol and a shotgun.
“My heart breaks for the parents [of the school children],” the woman added. “There are families who lost kids today. But honestly, I wouldn’t have thought any more of [Westman] than anybody else walking in or out of the building.”
Officers set up barriers after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Aug. 27, 2025. (REUTERS/Ben Brewer)
She also expressed sympathy for Westman’s parents.
“This is probably the first shooter that my head kind of goes to … God, I can’t imagine what their family is going through,” she said. “It sounds like they tried to do whatever they could for the kid.”
Another woman who was walking her dog outside the complex said she had never interacted with Westman. All three residents said that police searched Westman’s apartment earlier in the day.
