Police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, are investigating a mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church on Wednesday morning. The shooter, identified as Robin Westman, is deceased. The police are reportedly investigating certain YouTube videos allegedly belonging to Westman, which contain detailed discussions on mass shootings.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks to the media following a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church on August 27, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Getty Images via AFP)
The videos reveal that the person in the video, believed to be the suspect, was particularly obsessed with Adam Lanza, the suspect in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, as per the New York Post.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a media staging that the shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, and fired through the window of the church while a group of children were celebrating Mass. Two children were killed and 17 were injured, O’Hara confirmed, adding that the deceased children were 8 and 10 years old.
Police said the shooter killed himself and did not have a criminal history. They think that the suspect acted alone. Though O’Hara did not identify the shooter, multiple reports say citing law enforcement that it is Robin Westman.
Police Investigating YouTube Channel
The New York Post reported that Westman’s YouTube channel is being investigated by the police as they look for a motive behind what Police Chief O’Hara described as an “absolutely incomprehensible” act of violence on Wednesday. Though not yet confirmed as Westman’s by the authorities, the videos on the channel have gone viral and have also reportedly caught law enforcement’s attention.
Also read: Robin Westman: Did Minneapolis shooting suspect upload manifesto to YouTube? Alleged videos emerge
What has particularly stood out is a 20-minute video uploaded hours before the shooting where the suspect displays an alleged manifesto. In the video, the suspect shows the content of the ‘manifesto’ by turning the pages. It shows hand-drawn diagrams of guns, entries in English and Roman, and some entries that were illegible when viewed on video.
Other videos on the channel had weapon displays and magazines with “for the children” and “kill Donald Trump written on them.”
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” Chief O’Hara said.