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Minneapolis Church Mass Shooting Kills Two Children, Wounds 17 as FBI Opens Terror and Hate-Crime Probe

Federal investigators are examining removed videos and writings to determine motive.

Parents await news of their children's status after shooting at Annunciation Church on Wednesday morning, Aug. 27, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune
FBI Director Says Minneapolis Shooting Being Investigated as Domestic Terrorism and Hate Crime Targeting Catholics
Police and first responders at the scene
A parent hugs her son after an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, Minn., Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)

Overview

  • Police identified the attacker as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who died by suicide at the rear of Annunciation Church.
  • Gunfire was directed through church windows during a school Mass, with 14 students and three elderly parishioners wounded and expected to recover.
  • Investigators say Westman fired dozens of rounds using a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol that were legally and recently purchased.
  • At least two side doors were found barricaded from the outside and a smoke bomb was recovered, with no explosives located.
  • Authorities are reviewing pre-attack YouTube videos and a purported manifesto, and records indicate Westman previously attended the school and that the shooter's mother once worked at the church.