The Minneapolis school shooter meticulously planned the horrific attack by conducting a trial run beforehand, using her faith to gain trust and making sure parents weren’t around during to try to stop the killing.
Robin Westman, 23, targeted Annunciation Catholic School Wednesday after surveying the church in advance to see how many adults were around. Two children were killed, eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.
The parents of both children spoke out on Thursday night. Merkel’s father described Westman as a ‘coward’ and urged parents to ‘give your kids an extra hug and kiss today’, while Moyski’s heartbroken parents called for new gun control measures, saying they ‘believe it is important that [Harper’s] memory fuels action.
Westman, a transgender woman, wrote chilling plans in a notebook that appeared to point to several trips to the church beforehand, the New York Post reported.
‘Both times I went to the church, I didn’t see any men under the age of 55,’ Westman wrote in a combination of Russian Cyrillic and English.
‘I only saw old people and some mom-aged ladies, some with very young kids. Even still, these boomers could be packing.’
Westman, a former student at Annunciation who turned the gun on herself after the shooting, said the school’s online schedule helped her plan the vicious and fatal attack that killed Merkel and Moyski and injured 18 others while they sat in pews and prayed.
‘The school schedule is publicly posted online so I should go through that and look for events that look promising,’ Westman wrote on July 25 in the handwritten diary she shared in a now-deleted YouTube video.
‘Oooo! Aug. 27th, that is an all-school mass!’
Robin Westman, 23, targeted Annunciation Catholic School Wednesday after surveying the church in advance to see how many adults were around
Two children were killed, eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski
Westman killed two children and injured 18 others while they sat in pews and prayed at the church (pictured)
On August 10, Westman wrote: ‘I bet the front doors will be unlocked today. I will go to Starbucks at 8:40, chill there, [then] walk to the church at 9:30, arrive about three minutes late.’
During her stakeout, Westman arrived at the church pretending to be a lapsed Catholic looking to reconnect with the religion, a senior law enforcement official said, according to CNN.
Investigators also believe Westman created a detailed drawing of the inside of the church based on her prior visits there.
Officials think the shooter initially planned to carry out the attack from inside the church, but because mass had started, the doors were locked.
‘A number of the doors had been locked once Mass began, which is part of their normal procedure,’ Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CNN.
‘We believe that this step also played a part in ensuring this tragedy did not become that much worse.’
O’Hara also pointed to another key detail that Westman included in the YouTube video, showing wooden boards with smoke canisters attached that were possibly intended to trap students inside.
‘Check this out,’ Westman could be heard saying in the clip. ‘This will be for the emergency exit.’
Westman, who turned the gun on herself after carrying out the shooting, wrote in Russian Cyrillic and English about her plans in a chilling notebook
If the shooter was able to place the wooden boards on the doors, those trapped would have been left stuck and blocked by orange smoke, O’Hara said.
But because all doors were locked, including the emergency exit, Westman switched gears and shot blindly through the church’s stained glass windows.
As authorities continue to probe Westman’s motive behind the deadly massacre, they’ve pointed towards the manifesto shared in a 20-minute video.
The shooter first showed off a kill kit of ammunition, magazines and firearms, while revealing a twisted obsession with school shooters, along with a dislike of President Donald Trump and mockery of the church.
Westman also showed the camera pages of handwritten notes in a final letter to her family and friends. In the letter, she claimed to have cancer caused by a vaping habit.
Westman went on to write that she wanted ‘to go out on my own means.’
‘Unfortunately, due to my depression, anger and twisted mind, I want to fulfill a final act that has been in the back of my head for years,’ Westman wrote.
Other unhinged ramblings on Westman’s stash of magazines and guns revealed a hatred for Donald Trump and mockery of the Catholic church.
Westman wrote that she wanted ‘to go out on my own means’
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Westman showed wooden boards with smoke canisters attached in a YouTube video, meaning she possibly intended to trap students inside
Investigators also believe Westman created a detailed drawing of the inside of the church based on her prior visits there
‘Take this all of you, and eat!’, ‘Do you believe in God?’ and ‘Where is your God?’ read some of the anti-church messages. ‘Kill Donald Trump,’ read another.
Westman appeared to be struggling with her gender identity, having complained in the manifesto that she was ‘tired of being trans’ and claimed she had ‘brainwashed herself.’
Westman dressed in all black and was armed with three guns – a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol – during the attack.
All three weapons were used in the bloodbath, and all were purchased legally by Westman, police said.
Little Fletcher’s father Jesse slammed Westman on Thursday night, saying: ‘A coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away from us.
‘Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming.’
Merkel’s grieving father also asked the public to remember his little boy ‘for the person he was and not the act that ended his life’ as he urged parents to ‘give your kids an extra hug and kiss today.’
Moyski’s parents also announced on Thursday that she was killed in the shooting, describing their daughter as a ‘bright, joyful and deeply-loved 10 year old whose laughter, kindness and spirit touched everyone who knew her.
‘Our hearts are broken, not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss,’ they continued, noting that they are ‘shattered and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.’
The grieving parents then called for action on gun control, saying they ‘believe it is important that [Harper’s] memory fuels action.
‘We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country,’ they said.
Sophia Forchas, 12, and Endre Gunter, 13, are fighting for their lives after being injured in the shooting
Eighteen others were wounded, including 15 children.
The three adults injured were elderly church parishioners in their 80s, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
Endre Gunter, 13, and Sophia Forchas, 12, are fighting for their lives after bullets struck them.
Gunter was shot in the stomach when Westman fired through the church’s stained glass windows, his family said.
His mother, Danielle Gunter, told CNN her son is currently recovering in the hospital, and they will now focus on helping him ‘rebuild his life, his trust, and his confidence.’
Forchas was identified as another surviving victim, according to a GoFundMe set up by her family.
The 12-year-old was ‘shot during the attack and is currently in critical condition in the ICU,’ the fundraiser read.
‘She has already undergone emergency surgery, and her medical team is doing everything they can to stabilize her. Her road ahead will be long, uncertain, and incredibly difficult – but she is strong, and she is not alone,’ they continued.
