Mother of Minneapolis shooter hires lawyer that represented George Floyd protesters as mystery deepens over her absence: Live Updates

Mary Grace Westman has retained an attorney after the deadly Minneapolis school shooting.

‘She is completely distraught about the situation and has no culpability but is seeking an attorney to deal with calls like this,’ Attorney Ryan Garry told Fox News.

Garry was hired by NFL star Colin Kaepernick and his Know Your Rights Campaign to represent protesters after George Floryd’s death in May 2020.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a news conference on Thursday that dozens of interviews have been conducted with Robin Westman’s relatives, friends and associates.

But officers ‘have not been successful in talking to the shooter’s mother’, he said.

It is unclear why Mary Grace is not cooperating with investigators.

She had worked at the Annunciation Church School up until her retirement in 2021, and Robin – who previously went by Robert until changing names in 2019 to reflect ‘identifying as a woman’ – graduated from the school in 2017.

Pictured: Criminal defense attorney Ryan Garry

Robin Westman wrote a detailed manifesto that revealed how the killer spent months planning the attack on Annunciation Church.

The killer, 23, explicitly stated having a desire to gun down ‘a big assembly on the first day of school’ and admitted to being ‘morbidly obsessed’ with school shooters.

Police are investigating possible motives for Wednesday’s massacre and the FBI is treating it as a hate crime and act of domestic terror.

But Westman’s manifesto suggests that killer did not have one singular motive or trigger for the deadly shooting.

‘In regards to my motivation behind the attack I can’t really put my finger on a specific purpose,’ Westman wrote.

‘It definitely wouldn’t be for racism or white supremacy. I don’t want to do it to spread a message. I do it to please myself. I do it because I am sick.’

Robin Westman, a transgender woman, changed her name from Robert in 2019.

Mary Grace Westman was a signatory to the killer’s name change application, court documents show.

In the filing, Mary Grace wrote that the move was to reflect that her child was ‘[identifying] as a woman’.

But, according to a former employee at Annunciation Catholic School, she struggled with her child’s transition.

She had confided in the employee that Westman was transgender and identified as a girl and admitted: ‘I don’t know how I feel about this.’

‘I think she was struggling with her Catholic faith… She didn’t know how she felt, but it weighed heavily on her,’ the employee said.

Over the years, Mary had also reportedly voiced concerns over Westman’s behavior at school and social issues.

Westman didn’t have any friends in eighth grade and was disruptive in class, often being sent to the principal’s office, the employee said.

Only one child remains hospitalized at the Children’ Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis, hospital officials said last night.

The child’s condition remains unclear but six other patients were treated and discharged following the deadly shooting, according to CNN.

Hennepin Healthcare Clinic and Specialty Center had earlier said it was treating nine patients, including one child in critical condition.

Among the school shooters Robin Westman, 23, was reportedly inspired by was transgender gunman Audrey Hale, who opened fire at The Covenant School on March 27, 2023.

At the time of the shooting, Hale used male pronouns and went by the name ‘Aiden.’

‘I like the shooters who know what they’re doing,’ Westman wrote in her manifesto, according to KARE.

‘Shooters who plan for violence and mass death. Adam Lanza, Nikolaz Cruz, Erik, and Aiden…“ Westman wrote, referring also to the Sandy Hook and Parkland school shooters.

She went on to name other school shooters in Norway and Crimea.

The Westman family has had officers called to their home in Hastings, Minnesota at least twice before Wednesday’s horrific mass shooting.

In January 2018, a police officer in Eagan, Minnesota was dispatched to the family’s home over a mental health issue, according to a heavily-redacted police report obtained by NBC News.

The officer notes in the report that he ‘assisted Mendota Heights with a check welfare on a juvenile.’

The name of that juvenile and what exactly prompted police to be summoned to the three-bedroom home were redacted.

Police were also dispatched to the Westman’s home two years prior when they responded to a report of a ‘criminal offense.’

But the report blacks out all of the details describing the event.

Still, O’Hara said authorities did not have any information indicating that the school shooter suffered from any type of mental illness that would preclude her from obtaining pistols or semiautomatic weapons under Minnesota’s red flag law.

‘There is nothing in the investigation so far that would lead us to believe that anything was missed,’ he said, noting that beyond a traffic ticket Westman did not have a police record.

The school shooter was the youngest of three children born to Mary Grace and her now ex-husband, Jim, before they got divorced in 2013.

Pictured: The youngest of three Westman children whose parents divorced in 2013, Robin Westman (seen front right with her family) lived in Hastings, Minnesota, before Mary and Jim split (second from left)

Federal agents descended on a Florida condo belonging to the mother of transgender school shooter Robin Westman after she refused to cooperate with authorities investigating the deadly attack.

Plainclothes FBI agents could be seen in video footage arriving at Mary Grace Westman’s Naples, Florida condominium and banging on the door as the windows and shades were shuttered.

When they received no answer at the front door, the agents scurried to the backdoor – but had no success there either, WINK News reports.

The feds were apparently not the only ones looking to speak with Westman on Thursday. Deputy vehicles from the local Collier County Sheriff’s Office were seen circling the Berkshire Lakes condominium complex.

The other victim who died in Wednesday’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church has been identified by her parents as 10-year-old Harper Moyski.

‘We are devastated to share that our beloved daughter, Harper Moyski, was tragically killed in the recent school shooting,’ Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin said in a statement.

They described 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.

‘Change is possible and it is necessary – so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies.’

Moyski and Flavin also said they are ‘deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers and support.

‘Harper’s light will always shine though us and we hope her memory inspires others to work toward a safer, more compassionate world.’

The eight-year-old who was killed in Wednesday’s mass shooting was identified by his parents as Fletcher Merkel.

‘Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away from us,’ his grieving father Jesse said at a news conference.

‘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.’

Jesse then asked the public ‘for sympathy and not your empathy as our family and the Annunciation community grieve and try to make sense of such a senseless act of violence.’

‘Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life,’ he continued, as he urged parents to ‘give your kids an extra hug and kiss today.’

‘We love you Fletcher, you will always be with us,’ Jesse concluded.