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Minneapolis school shooting: Was Robin Westman Republican? Here's what we know
Robin Westman opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring others.
The suspect in the Minneapolis shooting at a Catholic Church and school, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, appeared to promote Republican congressional candidate Brandon Herrera in a video that was posted on YouTube before the horrific act, as reported by Newsweek. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media that the same video also showed rifle magazines with messages including “Kill Donald Trump.”
According to the news outlet, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that a manifesto video was timed by the shooter to be posted online. However, the authorities have not verified whether the 11-minute video referencing Herrera is the same one posted by Westman. The video has since been taken down and "remains under active review by our investigators."
Was Robin Westman a Republican?
It was not immediately clear if Westman was registered to vote as a Republican, as reported by Newsweek. However, according to the video, which has since been removed from YouTube, the person who was filming the video reportedly heard screaming, "Brandon Herrera for president. Yeah, I met Brandon Herrera at SHOT Show last year and he and I had a conversation, a brief conversation, we agreed on a lot of things, so y'all should vote for Brandon Herrera for president."
SHOT is an acronym for Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show, which is an annual trade vest organized in Las Vegas.
Authorities revealed that Westman opened fire just before 8:30 am local time on the children sitting in the pews at the Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday. Two children were shot dead, while 14 children and three elderly practitioners, who were in their 80s, were injured. Westman shot through the windows and used wooden planks to barricade the church doors.
The shooter, who was granted a name change in 2020 after identifying as a female, was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound and found in the parking lot. The motive of the shooter behind the horrific act remains unclear.
Harrera opens up on the alleged meet
Herrera, who describes himself as a “Second Amendment absolutist,” commented on the alleged meet from the video. On X, he shared that he was "physically sickened and angry about this clearly hate motivated attack on innocent children, and disgusted that my name came out of this demon's mouth." Harrera added that he did not recall meeting Westman. However, assured that he will be willing to cooperate and answer questions from law enforcement.
On Wednesday, Harrera also wrote on X, “I will not, nor will I ever say the name of the gutless coward who decided to take the lives of innocent people in Minneapolis today.” He added, "My heart goes out to the family of those affected, but to the shooter, I have one thing to say in response. F*** you. Burn in hell."
