Minneapolis Church Shooter’s Journals Reveal Descent into Violence and Troubled Past
Minneapolis Church Shooter’s Journals Reveal Descent into Violence and Troubled Past
MINNEAPOLIS – Just days after the devastating Annunciation Catholic Church shooting, an in-depth investigation has begun to shed light on the perpetrator’s disturbing motivations and turbulent background. Robin Westman, 23, who killed two and wounded 18 – including 15 students – before taking her own life last Wednesday, meticulously documented her violent plans and personal struggles in hundreds of pages of journals and online videos.
The writings, reviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune, paint a grim picture of a young adult consumed by racist vitriol, a morbid fixation with mass murderers, and a nihilistic worldview. Westman’s entries reveal months of planning for an attack, with a preference for targeting children and maximizing casualties. Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson stated that Westman “expressed hate towards almost every group imaginable,” and Westman herself wrote, “I think I must be evil.”
Personal turmoil appears to have fueled her descent. In an August 16 journal entry, just eleven days before the rampage, Westman wrote, “There is no going back. I blew all my money, quit my job, left [my partner], am slowly dying of cancer and am so hopelessly ruthlessly lost in despair and disdain for this world.” She had recently quit her job at a medical cannabis dispensary, broken up with a long-term partner, and moved in with a friend.
Westman’s upbringing was marked by instability, including her parents’ divorce when she was nine and frequent school changes. While some former acquaintances recalled her as quiet or “bubbly” after she began using female pronouns and legally changed her name in 2020, others from her earlier life, including a former teacher, noted signs of distress and self-inflicted wounds. Paradoxically, later journal entries and interactions with neighbors suggested she was again questioning her gender identity, at times expressing regret about identifying as female and using he/him pronouns.
The investigation also uncovered Westman’s detailed notes on acquiring firearms, expressing surprise at the ease with which guns could be purchased. She meticulously planned her visits to gun ranges and worked to raise money for the weapons, all while fearing detection by family and authorities. Despite expressing love for her family in videos, she acknowledged they would later wonder, “How did we miss the signs?!”
As the Annunciation community grapples with the aftermath, law enforcement continues to piece together the complex factors that led to the devastating attack, aiming to understand whether such a tragedy could have been prevented.
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