FBI investigates Minneapolis church school shooting as hate crime against Catholics
Kyiv • UNN
The FBI is investigating the Minneapolis shooting as a hate crime and an act of domestic terrorism. Two children died, 17 wounded during mass at Annunciation Church.
The shooting at a Minneapolis school in the US, which killed two children and injured 17 others, is being investigated as a hate crime against Catholics, the FBI reported, according to UNN, citing BBC.
Details
"The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X.
Two children, aged eight and ten, died when the attacker opened fire through the windows of Annunciation Church in the city on Wednesday morning, while the children were serving mass.
The attacker, who died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was later identified by police as 23-year-old Robin Westman.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, was among those who paid tribute to the young victims, stating that he was "deeply saddened" by the attack.
Police Chief Brian O'Hara told reporters: "This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people praying." "The sheer brutality and cowardice of shooting into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible," he said.
When asked about Patel's comment, he said that the Minneapolis Police Department is conducting the investigation with the support of federal agencies and will seek evidence wherever it leads.
Authorities have not yet released the likely motive for the attack.
Police began receiving reports of the shooting shortly before 08:00 local time (1a GMT) on Wednesday.
The attacker approached the church wall, where the school is also located, and fired dozens of shots through the windows, using three types of firearms – a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. Police also found a smoke bomb at the scene.
Officials are investigating whether the suspect fired inside the building or if all shots were fired from outside the church, noting that no bullet casings were found inside.
Annunciation Church, located in a residential area of south Minneapolis, educates students aged 5 to 14.
The attacker's mother, Mary Grace Westman, previously worked at the school, according to a 2016 school newsletter. A Facebook post states that she left the position in 2021.
Police found a note that Westman planned to post online during the shooting. Investigators later removed the post.
According to Minnesota court records, Westman's name was legally changed from Robert to Robin in 2020. In a statement, the judge wrote: "The minor child identifies as a girl and wishes her name to reflect that identification."
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke out against hatred directed at the transgender community after the attack.
In her own updates, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that Westman was "a male who claims to be transgender," and in his post on X, Patel referred to Westman as "a male."
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said that US President Donald Trump and his team expressed their "deepest condolences" and offered assistance. Trump later stated that the US flag would be lowered over the White House in honor of the victims.