Robin Westman Posted Manifesto on YouTube Prior to Annunciation Church Shooting/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Videos and writings linked to shooter Robin Westman reveal disturbing ideologies and suicidal thoughts before the Annunciation Church attack. The manifesto includes hate-filled messages, religious symbolism, and calls for violence. Former classmates recall troubling early behavior.
Robin Westman Profile + Quick Looks
- Shooter identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, previously known as Robert.
- Westman posted disturbing videos and a manifesto before church shooting.
- Manifesto reveals severe depression, suicidal ideation, and hate-fueled motives.
- Weapons were marked with names of previous mass shooters and Holocaust references.
- Videos contained racist language, anti-religious memes, and white supremacist symbols.
- A former classmate recalled Hitler praise and coded writings in school.
- Police found a journal with a hand-drawn map of the church.
- FBI is investigating the case as domestic terrorism and a hate crime.
Deep Look: Inside the Troubled Past of Robin Westman, Minneapolis Shooter
As Minneapolis continues to reel from the tragic mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, new details are emerging about the shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman. According to law enforcement and investigative sources, Westman’s past was marked by troubling behavior, radicalization, and mental health struggles that culminated in a violent, hate-filled act that killed two children and wounded 17 others.
Westman, who was assigned male at birth and previously went by the name Robert, legally changed her name to Robin in 2020. She was a former student of Annunciation Catholic School and returned there on Wednesday morning to carry out a horrific shooting during a student Mass.
Investigators say they uncovered a disturbing digital footprint, including a now-deleted YouTube channel believed to belong to Westman. The videos, reportedly uploaded just hours before the attack, showcased Westman’s arsenal of firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and what appeared to be a four-page handwritten manifesto.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that authorities believe Westman created and posted the videos. The manifesto addressed to friends and family begins with a grim admission:
“I don’t expect forgiveness … I do apologize for the effects my actions will have on your lives.”
Westman describes herself in the writings as severely depressed and suicidal for years, saying,
“I have wanted this for so long. I am not well. I am not right. I am a sad person, haunted by these thoughts that do not go away.” She claimed to have lost all hope and described the shooting as her “final action against this world.” Despite acknowledging that the act was wrong, she expressed an inability to stop herself.
The videos also contained disturbing imagery, including the face of Jesus used as a shooting target, a pile of weapons marked with anti-religious phrases, and memes glorifying past mass murderers. A particularly chilling detail: Westman had labeled her guns with names referencing shooters from Sandy Hook, the Tree of Life Synagogue, and the Christchurch mosque attacks. There were also references to the Holocaust, with hateful slogans calling for Israel to “fall” and “burn.”
In one video, Westman reportedly flashed a white supremacist hand sign, spoke racial slurs, and wore a shirt featuring the old Minnesota flag with the phrase, “Do it before the anxiety kicks in.” Investigators say these actions, along with her documented ideology, reinforce their classification of the attack as a potential hate crime and act of domestic terrorism.
Among the items found was a journal written in Cyrillic characters, which included a detailed, hand-drawn map of Annunciation Church. Westman is also seen holding a smoke bomb in the videos, which police say was used during the attack.
As more information surfaces, former classmates are beginning to speak out. Josefina Sanchez, who attended grade school with Westman in St. Paul, shared her own unsettling memories. At the time, Westman still went by Robert.
“I knew something was off,” Sanchez said. “But I was a kid — how was I to know what to do?”
Their brief friendship ended after Westman displayed disturbing behavior.
“He would put up his hand and praise Hitler,” she recalled, adding that it left a lasting impression. “When you see something erratic, it doesn’t leave your mind.”
Reflecting on the recent revelations, Sanchez was emotional and shaken. “I wish I could have said something sooner, but I was little,” she said. The sight of the journal written in coded language reminded her of similar writings Westman used in school to keep others from understanding her thoughts.
Sanchez believes the attack stemmed from something far deeper than politics or ideology. “I think that’s a spiritual battle,” she said. “It’s demonic… I think we need Jesus. He needed him.”
The full extent of Westman’s motivations is still under investigation, but what is clear is that a long trail of warning signs, hate, and unaddressed mental health issues contributed to one of the most devastating acts of school violence in Minnesota history.
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