The gunman who opened fire on students worshipping at a Minneapolis church was “obsessed with the idea of killing children”, investigators reveal.
Robin Westman, who killed two children and injured 18 others, did not appear to have a clear motivation, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
The attacker “appeared to hate all of us,” the chief stated on Thursday, adding, “More than anything, the shooter wanted to kill children.”
The deceased children have been named by family members as Fletcher Merkel, eight, and Harper Moyski, ten.
“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away from us,” his father, Jesse Merkel, told reporters.
“Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play,” he said.
“Give your kids an extra hug and kiss today. We love you, Fletcher. You’ll always be with us,” he continued, choking back tears.
Harper Moyski’s parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, said in a statement that their daughter “was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her”.
“As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain,” they said, adding that they hope “her memory fuels action” to stop gun violence.
“No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain… Change is possible, and it is necessary – so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies.”
Officials have revealed scant details about the suspect’s background but say Westman attended the church’s school and had a mother who worked there.
The 23-year-old suspect is thought to have approached the side of the Annunciation Church, which also contains a school, and fired hundreds of shots through the windows with three guns. Police discovered a smoke bomb at the scene.
Witnesses reported witnessing youngsters bleeding as they exited the church, pleading for aid from passersby.
In a news conference on Thursday, acting US Attorney General for Minnesota Joseph Thompson stated that “the shooter expressed hatred towards many groups, including the Jewish community and President Trump.”
The attacker, who died at the site from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, left a note, according to officials, but a precise motive may never be discovered.
“I won’t dignify the attacker’s words by repeating them; they are horrific and vile,” said Mr Thompson.
In 2020, Westman’s name was legally changed from Robert to Robin, with the judge writing, “Minor child identifies as a female.”
However, some federal officials and police have referred to Westman as a man when discussing the attack.
Chief O’Hara advised reporters to stop using the killer’s name because “the purpose of the shooter’s actions was to obtain notoriety.”
He added that she, “like so many other mass shooters that we have seen in this country too often and around the world, had some deranged fascination with previous mass shootings.”
For years, US officials have cautioned that mass shootings might lead to copycat killings as perpetrators seek fame via their horrible deeds.
Several major news agencies have a policy of avoiding naming mass shooters.
The attack was termed as “an act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology” by FBI Director Kash Patel.
In a post on X, Patel stated that the attacker “left multiple anti-Catholic, anti-religious references” scribbled on weaponry and notes discovered by investigators.
“The subject expressed hatred and violence toward Jewish people, writing ‘Israel must fall’ and ‘Free Palestine’ and using explicit language related to the Holocaust,” he wrote.
This assailant additionally “wrote an explicit call for violence against President Trump on a firearm magazine”.
Officials verified during the news conference that the attacker had previously attended the institution. Her mother, Mary Grace Westman, previously worked at the school and has yet to reply to law enforcement’s efforts to contact her.
They also revealed that police had searched three properties related to the perpetrator, who lived in suburban Minneapolis.
They claimed that the church sealed its doors before beginning its Mass service, potentially sparing many lives.
Officials also stated that the guns used in the incident were legally acquired, that the killer was not on any government radar, and that police were unaware of any mental health diagnosis or treatments she was receiving.
Witnesses and relatives of victims who talked with the BBC described terrifying images of violence.
Patrick Scallen, who lives near the church, reported seeing three children exiting the building, one of whom was a girl with a head wound.
“She kept saying, ‘Please hold my hand, don’t leave me,’ and I said I wasn’t going anywhere.”
