The Minneapolis gunman, who opened fire on Annunciation Catholic School, killing at least two children and injuring 17 worshippers, posted a disturbing video on YouTube ahead of the shooting.
Authorities identified the shooter as Robin Westman, 23, who shared a video in which he stabbed a hand-drawn floor plan of a church. Transgender pride flags were also visible in the video.
Westman was later found dead in the school parking lot from what is believed to have been a self-inflicted gunshot. The video has been taken down from the platform.
In the videos recorded and uploaded before the attack, Westman presented a hand-drawn blueprint of a church on paper. It showed a typical church layout, with a podium at the front, several rectangular boxes representing rows of seats, and a cross on the stage. The man was seen tracing the individual seats with his finger, counting them carefully, before taking a knife and stabbing the paper.
Another pencil-drawn sketch showed a man, resembling Westman, with a gun strapped to his chest, speaking to a demon trapped in a cage. Above the scene, Russian text read, "Who am I? When will this end? Help me. I don't want it."
Westman had scheduled videos on a YouTube channel under the name Robin W. In one, he read from a four-page handwritten letter addressed to family and friends. The letter contained apologies for the impact of his actions, reflections on years of depression, and instructions for loved ones to move on or change their names. He described himself as "severely depressed and suicidal for years" and said he wanted to die on his own terms, citing illness, pain, and despair.
Authorities recovered a cache of firearms, including a rifle, shotgun, and pistol. Several magazines and weapons carried written messages, including "Kill Donald Trump," "Israel must fall," and "Nuke India." Some messages were written in Cyrillic, and several magazines bore the names of previous school shooters.
Police continue to investigate Westman's drawings, manifesto, and online content to determine the motive behind the attack.
