MN- Minneapolis, mass shooting at church, multiple fatalities, possible explosive device found. Aug 2025

[fred&edna]

Is there a link that says that they are "looking sideways" at her?

not that i'm aware. the op i was replying to in my post used the looking sideways' phrase and that's why i used it.... you'd have to ask them. the only thing i've read is that mom hired a criminal defense attorney and has not cooperated with law enforcement.

personally, i have no idea why mom wouldn't cooperate.

jmo

eta... i've now seen the news report that mom has spoken with law enforcement.

 

[Chimera]

Minneapolis shooting updates: Westman’s father reveals new details about attacker

Police say 23-year-old Robin Westman fired 116 rounds through the stained-glass windows of a church next to Annunciation Catholic School, trying to kill as many children as possible

www.the-independent.com

".... According to a warrant seen by Fox 9, Westman’s father told police the shooter recently “broke up with a significant and/or romantic partner” and had been staying with a friend...."

My .02 is that it's inopportune to blame this on a recent break up; imo -- the anger and evil intentions had been simmering for some time.

Wondering about that last part of the sentence.
Would like to know if anyone had started to become fearful of the perp.
Like a long term rage and then if the friend wanted R.W. to move out & that was the proverbial 'last straw' ?
Not blaming the friend.

Eta : Bet the friend is saddened and horrified but grateful to be alive !
Omo.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Should any mental health issue requiring a welfare check or police call out restrict a person from buying guns ? . I know there is a red flag law but why does the red flag have to be major before its seen as a boundary to purchase ?

Surely a persons right to bear arms is in regard to protecting oneself but if that person is in need of protection from oneself why would gun laws allow that person to not only put themselves in danger but others also .

I don’t think it should. Not all welfare checks are warranted. JMO

 

[Chimera]

So it appears that the residences being searched by LE include:

-the father's home (about one mile from the church)
-the Richfield home/apartment (pre-romantic partner break-up living situation)
-the St. Louis Park home/apartment (post-romantic break-up living situation and residence of friend)

A tactical vest was found at the father's home.
And guns were found at the St. Louis Park home.

And the shooter was driving the father's van when the shooter shot up the Church. And the shooter's iPhone was found in the van parked at the church.

Minneapolis church shooting search warrants reveal new details and evidence

The search warrants document at least 258 pieces of evidence in the shooting that left two children dead. The shooter's writings have come under scrutiny.

www.nbcnews.com

Pbm.
Thanks for the link ... I missed the bit I've bolded !!!
Should (hopefully) be information on it.

Fwiw, I still think the shooter acted alone.
Imo.

 

[Jinkasaurus]

May have been posted, but this is a good overview of past behavior and statements in his journals - paints a picture of very long term obsessive thinking and near the end, maybe a wish to be caught before going through with it.

It would be very understandable, IMO, for someone to feel ambivalent about the finality of the decision they were about to make. They had been thinking about this for years, finally started planning, and yet... on some level, they know this isn't what they should do.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/28/us/journal-minneapolis-shooter-robin-westman-invs

 

[teeby]

I don’t think it should. Not all welfare checks are warranted. JMO

I agree with this. And also some people have mental health issues that they outgrow or heal from.

 

[arielilane]

The love and kindness I’ve witnessed outside Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis the last few days is so much bigger and stronger and more powerful than the the evil acts. No comparison. His plan backfired.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1961599277890715759

 

[Dawookie]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/28/us/journal-minneapolis-shooter-robin-westman-invs

Not sure if this article has been posted here but this quote sticks out to me.

At one point, Westman expressed surprise that family members didn’t expect the coming violence.


“I feel like my mom would have seen it coming due to my rocky past with violent threats,” the journal states. “The other day my stepmom… said she could feel a ‘dark energy’ around me… if only you know!”

IMO, as more information comes out from his journals , it seems like red flags were there and seemingly blown off which also seems to be a recurring issue when it comes to the perpetrators of school shootings.

I really wish more parents and the people closest to the shooters would start speaking up and actually get them the mental help they desperately need instead of ignoring the signs

 

[Betty P]

Should any mental health issue requiring a welfare check or police call out restrict a person from buying guns ? . I know there is a red flag law but why does the red flag have to be major before its seen as a boundary to purchase ?

Surely a persons right to bear arms is in regard to protecting oneself but if that person is in need of protection from oneself why would gun laws allow that person to not only put themselves in danger but others also .

That sounds like a good idea. Police can put the guns in storage until the person is deemed to no longer be a danger to others. Perhaps also do the same in cases of violent crimes and DV. It used to be routine for police to do that. It’s common sense, good prevention and fair to the public. JMO.

 

[su5ie]

That sounds like a good idea. Police can put the guns in storage until the person is deemed to no longer be a danger to others. Perhaps also do the same in cases of violent crimes and DV. It used to be routine for police to do that. It’s common sense, good prevention and fair to the public. JMO.

RW required police to call to the homes for I'm assuming issues related to mental health , a call out I'm presuming is not done for depression that is being treated by your doctor and the person affected is receiving or awaiting wanted therapy .

So I see nothing wrong with removing legal weapons from the home even if it's a minor incident like for example expressing a desire to be done with life and being a risk to oneself . Why wait to see if it develops into darker suicidal thoughts and possible attempts .

It's this wait and see approach that I find discouraging in the red flag law . Because by then it has escalated to a point of no return ,( again assuming )

If a person is in a dark place and it is known by those close to them even loosely and service personnel have been or are involved in incidents at the home . I know in those circumstances it is recommended to remove access to say medication that can be consumed to unalive oneself . So why not guns as a temporary measure until the person has stabilised through medical care ? Even if it saved a handful of lives is it not sensible?

I don't know much about gun laws as I live in ireland where even our on the beat LE aren't allowed carry guns . Only our special branch detectives can and this is usually when gangland criminal activity warrants the usage .

But I do believe more is needed to tighten the gun laws in America without removing a right to bear arms as these mass shootings are becoming a more regular thing to the point it no longer has the same shock factor it once did .

 

[Ontario Mom]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/28/us/journal-minneapolis-shooter-robin-westman-invs

Not sure if this article has been posted here but this quote sticks out to me.

At one point, Westman expressed surprise that family members didn’t expect the coming violence.

“I feel like my mom would have seen it coming due to my rocky past with violent threats,” the journal states. “The other day my stepmom… said she could feel a ‘dark energy’ around me… if only you know!”

IMO, as more information comes out from his journals , it seems like red flags were there and seemingly blown off which also seems to be a recurring issue when it comes to the perpetrators of school shootings.

I really wish more parents and the people closest to the shooters would start speaking up and actually get them the mental help they desperately need instead of ignoring the signs

Mostly likely due to the perfectly normal mindset that someone you love and care about could never possibly be capable of mass murder. Of course they're red flags in hindsight, but at the time, most parents or caregivers seem to chalk them up to a momentary loss of temper, he or she had a bad day, or he or she is going through a rough patch, or some such thing that we all experience, every single day.

Almost no one ever assumes their loved one is a potential mass shooter with a heart full of demonic hate and rage.

 

[tara83]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/28/us/journal-minneapolis-shooter-robin-westman-invs

Not sure if this article has been posted here but this quote sticks out to me.

At one point, Westman expressed surprise that family members didn’t expect the coming violence.


“I feel like my mom would have seen it coming due to my rocky past with violent threats,” the journal states. “The other day my stepmom… said she could feel a ‘dark energy’ around me… if only you know!”

IMO, as more information comes out from his journals , it seems like red flags were there and seemingly blown off which also seems to be a recurring issue when it comes to the perpetrators of school shootings.

I really wish more parents and the people closest to the shooters would start speaking up and actually get them the mental help they desperately need instead of ignoring the signs

It's really not that simple when the person is an adult. You can't force someone to get mental help if they aren't interested.

 

[Elley Mae]

Minneapolis Catholic school shooter Robin Westman’s weapons’ cache revealed as search warrants turn up pile of evidence

Minneapolis investigators have collected a mountain of evidence connected to the mass shooting at a Catholic school and church on Wednesday, including the gunman’s cache of weapons and a…

nypost.com

 

[Chimera]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/28/us/journal-minneapolis-shooter-robin-westman-invs

Not sure if this article has been posted here but this quote sticks out to me.

At one point, Westman expressed surprise that family members didn’t expect the coming violence.


“I feel like my mom would have seen it coming due to my rocky past with violent threats,” the journal states. “The other day my stepmom… said she could feel a ‘dark energy’ around me… if only you know!”

IMO, as more information comes out from his journals , it seems like red flags were there and seemingly blown off which also seems to be a recurring issue when it comes to the perpetrators of school shootings.

I really wish more parents and the people closest to the shooters would start speaking up and actually get them the mental help they desperately need instead of ignoring the signs

Agreed and good points. ^^^
It's sounding like there may have been red flags, it's a thorny issue if help was offered but rejected by the killer, and sadly one I don't imagine will be resolved soon ?

It has been pointed out that such help can be costly, and there's also the element of the young adult needing to be willing to accept professional counseling or treatment.
What about health insurance, as in some states the young adult can be on the parent's insurance until (I think !) age 25 or 26 .
Also it's not known at this time, but if the parents of the shooter weren't destitute, they could have financed mental health treatment if needed ?
So many 'what ifs'.

Sad for the families of the two who earned their angel wings and also hoping for healing, for those survivors who will have lasting trauma.
Imo.

 

[Inthedetails]

That sounds like a good idea. Police can put the guns in storage until the person is deemed to no longer be a danger to others. Perhaps also do the same in cases of violent crimes and DV. It used to be routine for police to do that. It’s common sense, good prevention and fair to the public. JMO.

If someone in the household or even in the family but a separate household, get RID of the guns. Yes, they can buy their own if adult, but at minimum, don't make it easy for someone facing mental-health issues to have access to guns (and you will be able to live knowing you made that step).

What's really concerning me in this particular case is that the shooter seems to have been influenced by websites and perhaps online communities that egg each other on in their obsessions- and THAT environment still exists. The shooter is gone, but the influences aren't.

Some young people at this very minute are consuming the dangerous ideas online. That is scary.


jmopinion

 

[Chimera]

Mostly likely due to the perfectly normal mindset that someone you love and care about could never possibly be capable of mass murder. Of course they're red flags in hindsight, but at the time, most parents or caregivers seem to chalk them up to a momentary loss of temper, he or she had a bad day, or he or she is going through a rough patch, or some such thing that we all experience, every single day.

Almost no one ever assumes their loved one is a potential mass shooter with a heart full of demonic hate and rage.

Bbm.
Well said.
The part of your post I bolded really sums it up for me.
We'll never know now .... as I'm sure the relatives of the murderer are most likely in shock.
What could they possibly say at this point ?
Imo.

 

[Chimera]

Minneapolis Catholic school shooter Robin Westman’s weapons’ cache revealed as search warrants turn up pile of evidence

Minneapolis investigators have collected a mountain of evidence connected to the mass shooting at a Catholic school and church on Wednesday, including the gunman’s cache of weapons and a…

nypost.com

I'd imagine LE are interested in the money trail as far as who financed this weapons cache ?
Doesn't sound as if the murderer had gainful employment, but not certain on that point.
Imo.

 

[Inthedetails]

I'd imagine LE are interested in the money trail as far as who financed this weapons cache ?
Doesn't sound as if the murderer had gainful employment, but not certain on that point.
Imo.

Credit cards?

jmopinion

 

[Dawookie]

Mostly likely due to the perfectly normal mindset that someone you love and care about could never possibly be capable of mass murder. Of course they're red flags in hindsight, but at the time, most parents or caregivers seem to chalk them up to a momentary loss of temper, he or she had a bad day, or he or she is going through a rough patch, or some such thing that we all experience, every single day.

Almost no one ever assumes their loved one is a potential mass shooter with a heart full of demonic hate and rage.

Which I completely understand that line of thinking but when the behavior is repeated time and time again, something needs to be done. They said they had been suspended for talking about school shootings but never had to talk to anyone about it. Just disheartening to see the same pattern time and time again

 

[Cryptic]

Credit cards?

jmopinion

Well said regarding the financing of the weapons cache.

As a side note, the pistol and shotgun are not prestige brands and can be obtained used for several hundred dollars each- or less if one really looks around. Likewise, generic brand AR-15 clones can be obtained used for say, 600-700 dollars?

In the end, the cache could have been self financed by the shooter from working odd jobs while
coach surfing rent free.