The deranged gunman who slaughtered two children and injured at least 17 others at a Catholic school in Minneapolis has been identified as a transgender woman — as disturbing videos posted by the shooter show a handwritten manifesto and “kill Donald Trump” and “for the children” scrawled on gun magazines.
Robin Westman, formerly Robert Westman, opened fire through the stained glass windows of a church at the Annunciation Catholic School — where he attended — during a celebratory back-to-school Mass filled with children around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Just hours before the cowardly massacre, Westman, 23, posted a series of twisted videos on YouTube, which included a manifesto, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed at a press conference.
The gunman, Robin Westman, is pictured above in an undated picture before the shooting. Obtained by NY Post
The names of Adam Lanza and other mass shooters on one of Westman’s gun magazines. Robin W/YouTube
In one 20-minute video, Westman flips through the disturbing handwritten manifesto. Much of it is written in a homespun code that uses Cyrillic characters and English phonetic words.
In the deranged writings, he gleefully fantasizes about “being that scary horrible monster standing over those powerless kids” and reverently confesses admiration for the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre.
Westman applied to change his birth name from Robert to Robin in Dakota County, Minn., when he was 17 years old, according to court documents. That name change was granted in January 2020.
The petition added that Westman “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
But, five years later, he seemed to have backed away from that identity.
“I don’t want to dress girly all the time but I guess sometimes I really like it. I know I am not a woman but I definitely don’t feel like a man,” he wrote.
“I really like my outfit. I look pretty, smart and modest. I think I want to wear something like this for my shooting.”
He also goes into great detail about his decision to target Annunciation, where he graduated from grade school in 2017, according to a yearbook obtained by CNN.
Gunman Robin Westman seen in a video from 2021. Robin W/YouTube
His mother, Mary Grace Westman, also worked as a secretary at the school until retiring in 2021, according to a Facebook post by the church.
“I am feeling good about Annunciation. It seems like a good combo of easy attack form and devastating tragedy and I want to do more research. I have concerns about finding a large enough group. I want to avoid any parents, but pre and post school drop off,” another page reads.
“Maybe I could attack an event at the on-site church,” he ominously scribbled. “I think attacking a large group of kids coming in from recess is my best plan … Then from there I can go inside and kill, going for as long as I can.”
Near the end of the video, Westman flicks through a number of blank pages before reaching what appears to be a drawing showing the inside of a church, saying “Haha, nice” as he stops turning pages.
He then takes out a knife and stabs into the center of the sketch, his hand momentarily quivering before he withdraws the blade, and quietly mumbles, “kill myself.”
The notebook where Westman wrote the manifesto. Robin W/YouTube
A screenshot from a YouTube video possibly connected to shooter Robin Westman shows weaponry. Robin W/YouTube
Gunman Robin Westman killed two children at a Minneapolis Catholic school on Wednesday, August 27, 2025. Instagram / @marygracewestman
In a video, titled “So long and thanks for all the fish,” Westman slowly turns the pages of the red notebook, which is laid out on top of what appears to be schematic gun diagrams, one of them reading Ruger Mark IV — a type of small-caliber pistol.
As he flips the pages, an occasional plume of smoke is seen from the bottom of the screen, punctuated by coughs, disjointed cursing and maniacal giggles.
Each page is filled with inscrutable handwritten doggerel, which includes violent ramblings such as “I have had thoughts about mass murder for a long time. I am very conflicted with writing this journal,” the text, translated by The Post, reads in part.
“I need to get my thoughts out without getting on a watchlist haha!”
Gunman Robin Westman reads a manual in a video posted in 2021. Robin W/YouTube
Westman’s mother Mary Grace Westman previously worked at the church. Facebook / Mary Grace Westman
Here is the latest on the mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school:
The journal contains a number of other subtle clues about Weston’s identity — hinting at an angry melange of far-left politics and antisemitism.
One page includes a trans pride flag sticker with “Defend equality” printed across the bottom, with a black AK-47 sticker laid on top.
An antisemitic message written Westman’s equipment. Robin W/YouTube
Westman wrote “Israel must fall” on one of his guns. Robin W/YouTube
Bullets were also seen in the video clip. Robin W/YouTube
In another entry, he writes, “If I carry out a racially motivated attack, it would be most likely against filthy Zionist jews,” before calling Jewish people “entitled” and “penny-sniffing” before adding “FREE PALESTINE!”
“I hate fascism,” read yet another page, following it up shortly after with “I also love when kids get shot, I love to see kids get torn apart.”
He later bemoaned the media, saying he is “tired of the news headlines.”
“They only talk about brown people dying and I don’t care about them. I like to hear when Israelis get killed, but they don’t like to report on that stuff,” he wrote.
The demented manifesto sheds light on what appears to be a truly disturbed mind, with Weston musing about a grand “final act” — stating a desire to take out “a target of political or societal significance” before he died.
“Targets like [Elon] Musk, Trump or some significant exec.”
He also indicated that he knew the Annunciation shooting would culminate in his death and complained about apparent health issues.
Gunman Robin Westman seen in a picture from his mother’s Facebook page. Facebook / Mary Grace Westman
“I think I might have some prostate problems. I have to piss so frequently and I’m sick of it. Even if I can heal, I still just want to die and kill many people,” the journal read.
The unhinged shooter went on to express sincere admiration for mass shooters — including Sandy Hook killer Adam Lanza.
“I have a deep fascination with one man in particular: Adam Lanza,” he wrote in the journal on May 23 in reference to the 20-year-old perpetrator of the worst elementary school shooting in US history, which left 20 first-grade students and six adults dead.
“Sandy Hook was my favorite, I think, exposure of school shootings.”
A diagram of Annunciation Church in the notebook. Robin W/YouTube
Another video posted to YouTube in the hours before the sickening slaughter showed off a cache of weapons — including a semi-automatic rifle and a shotgun.
Gun magazines were scrawled with “for the children” and “kill Donald Trump.”
Westman, who died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a handgun — all of which he bought legally, cops said.
The shooter was not previously known to law enforcement, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters at a press conference.