Two children were killed and over 20 others were injured in a mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic church carried out by a 23-year-old who claimed gender and marijuana issues led to his deteriorating mental state.

According to CNA, Robin Westman, who identified as a transgender woman, opened fire at Annunciation Catholic Church on Aug. 27, leaving two children dead and injuring 21 others in what he claimed was a purposeless attack after years of internal conflict and mental health struggles.

Authorities identified the shooter as Robin Westman, a 23-year-old assigned male at birth who legally changed his name from Robert at the age of 17. Westman had previously attended the school affiliated with the church, and his mother had worked there until 2021. In the days leading up to the shooting, Westman pretended to be exploring a renewed interest in Catholicism as a cover to scope out the building.

Cyrillic Manifesto Reveals Planning and Frustration

Before the attack, Westman uploaded a manifesto written in Cyrillic characters and phonetic English to YouTube. In the document, he detailed frustrations about his gender identity and regrets over transitioning, writing that he no longer felt like either a man or a woman. He also blamed years of depression and drug use, particularly marijuana, as playing a significant role in his emotional decline.

The manifesto included drawings and descriptions of the church where the shooting took place, showing that Westman had specifically chosen the location due to personal ties and a belief that staff would not anticipate an attack so early in the school year. He had worked at a marijuana dispensary earlier in the year but was no longer employed there at the time of the shooting.

“Gender and weed messed up my head,” Westman wrote, advising others not to allow children to engage with marijuana or gender experimentation until they were older. He expressed regret over his transition, stating that he couldn’t afford surgery and felt let down by the limitations of current medical options.

Struggles with Mother Cited as Emotional Trigger

In his online writings, Westman criticized his mother for being emotionally unsupportive of his gender identity. He recalled moments when she dismissed his sense of self, leading him to feel rejected and hopeless, stating that her behavior contributed to his violent thoughts. He described fantasizing about revenge and violence at nearly every school and workplace he had encountered throughout his life.

Despite these harsh accusations, Westman later contradicted some of his earlier statements in a separate letter he addressed to friends and family. In that note, he expressed appreciation for the love he had received, writing, “You didn’t fail me,” despite earlier claims that his mother’s dismissive attitude had driven his desire to hurt others.

Westman’s history of mental health concerns stretches back to his adolescence. He was suspended in the seventh grade for asking another student, "Where would you hide?"—a question that sparked concern among staff and was perceived as indicative of violent ideation even at that time.

Shooter Expressed Emptiness and Regret

While Westman’s writings were filled with emotional contradictions, the general tone of his manifesto showed a person in deep despair. He wished he had never experimented with either gender identity or drugs and stated that he no longer had a sense of who he was. Expressing a sense of isolation, he wrote that he felt disconnected from both male and female identities.

“I wish I were a girl,” he wrote, continuing that he felt technology today could never give him the body he desired. He expressed both resentment and sorrow, often within the same page, and wrote openly about ongoing suicidal thoughts and emotional numbness.

Although the attack was carried out in a religious setting, Westman emphasized in his manifesto that he did not view the act as a statement against religion or faith. “This is not a church or religion attack,” he wrote, “the message is there is no message.”

Investigation Focuses on Long-Term Warning Signs

Officials are continuing to investigate how Westman acquired the weapons used in the attack and how he was able to carry out the plot without detection. The level of detail in his planning, including his drawings of the church and use of prior connections to gain entrance, has raised concerns about long-term warning signs being overlooked.

Authorities are also scrutinizing the manifesto for clues about possible copycat threats or ideological motivations, though Westman's own words indicate a lack of specific political or religious intent. He framed the attack instead as an expression of personal pain and mental instability.

This shooting has prompted renewed debates over mental health treatment access, drug use among young adults, and the complexities involved in understanding gender identity issues, especially in youth. Community leaders in Minneapolis have issued statements mourning the lives lost and calling for improved support systems to mitigate such tragedies.