Minneapolis shooter ‘took own life’, had no criminal record | Key updates

The police are working with other agencies “in the process of executing four search warrants,” according to city police chief Brian O’Hara.

The man who opened fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States has been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman. The man has no significant criminal history and had recently purchased the weapons he used in the attack — a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol — said Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara.

Law enforcement officers gather outside the Annunciation Church's school in response to a reported mass shooting on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP)

Two children aged eight and ten died in a mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, which also houses a grammar school. At least 17 people got injured in the shooting, out of which 14 are children and three are adults in their 80s, said O’Hara as he addressed the press on Wednesday (local time) to give more updates on the tragic incident.

He added that the shooter, whom he referred to as a “coward”, took his own life after shooting at children attending the mass at the church to mark their first week back to school.

Here are the major updates the Minneapolis police chief gave about the shooting and the suspect:

Who are the victims: Brian O’Hara said that there are a “total of 19 victims from this tragedy”, including two children aged eight and ten who were pronounced deceased on the scene. “They were sitting in the pews at mass when they were shot and killed,” O’Hara said. He added that there were 14 other children between the ages of six and 15 who were injured by gunfire. Apart from them, there were also three adults in their 80s who were parishioners at the church and got injured during the shooting. “The families of all the children that have been affected have been notified,” O’Hara said.

Shooter “took his own life”: According to the city police chief, the shooter has been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, and he “took his own life in the rear of the church”. O’Hara said that the suspect did not have any prior criminal history. He added that all the weapons used by the shooter — a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol — were lawfully purchased. “At this stage, we believe that the shooter had acted alone. There is no indication of other suspects directly involved in carrying out this attack,” he said.

Four search warrants being executed: The city police are working with other agencies “in the process of executing four search warrants,” according to O’Hara. These search warrants will be executed in the church where the crime occurred, and three residences in the metro that are related to the shooter. “Additional firearms are being recovered from those three residential locations as we speak,” O’Hara said.

Shooter had timed a manifesto to be released on YouTube: The shooter had timed a manifesto to be released on YouTube, which has been taken down by the police with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “This manifesto appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings,” said the city police chief.

How are those injured in the shooting doing? Brian O’Hara told the media that the parents of all the children who were injured in the shooting are with them now. He added that all the remaining victims are “expected to survive”; however, there is a range of injuries that they have suffered.

What was shooter’s motive? The police have not yet ascertained the motive behind the shooting. They are investigating the manifesto that the shooter had scheduled to be released to develop a motive. “It’s been taken down, and our investigators are going through that to try and develop a motive through that. Additionally, there are these three search warrants happening in residential locations and we may very well find more information or writings that may give some sense to that but we don't have them now,” O’Hara said.