A year after a shooting at Annunciation Church and School in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, 2025, city officials released approximately 1,500 photographs and hundreds of pages of records documenting the incident. The materials include witness interviews, evidence logs, and officer accounts of the attack carried out by 23-year-old Robin Westman, who killed two children—8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski—before dying by suicide. At least 21 other children and adults sustained injuries in the attack.
The released documents demonstrate the rapid law enforcement response to the shooting. Officers from Minneapolis and multiple state, federal, and neighboring jurisdictions arrived approximately three and a half minutes after the initial dispatch report. Upon arrival, first responders encountered Westman armed with a rifle, shotgun, pistol, knives, smoke bombs, and ammunition already suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officers documented extensive evidence at the scene, including bullet holes and shell casings scattered throughout the church, playground, and surrounding residential properties.
Accounts from survivors and officers describe the initial chaos of the shooting. Many individuals present for Mass reported hearing gunshots from outside before windows began breaking. Children and adults took cover under pews and in various hiding locations throughout the church. Preschool teachers barricaded classrooms to protect students. Officers triaged patients on scene, applying first aid and transporting the wounded, with one officer credited by hospital staff with potentially saving the life of an adult victim shot in the parking lot.
The documents provide limited clarity regarding Westman’s motivations for the attack. Investigators noted that Westman displayed “full of hatred” and expressed admiration for previous mass shooters, writing their names on weapons and gear used in the attack. Westman also recorded statements attacking religions, race, and ethnicity, though the nature of these statements offered little insight into the selection of the target. A dashcam video from Westman’s vehicle documented behavior in the days preceding the attack, showing Westman appearing agitated following family contact and sobbing while driving past the church and school the night before the shooting.
Interviews with Westman’s father, ex-girlfriend, close friend, and former co-workers characterized Westman as a solitary individual who experienced depression. While some individuals reported that Westman had expressed suicidal thoughts years earlier, they stated they had not observed signs of capability to harm others. Westman’s father noted struggles with eating and significant weight loss prior to the attack but indicated no prior cause for concern. Several relatives declined to participate in law enforcement interviews. City officials indicated additional documents and videos may be released in coming weeks, with previously released materials redacted to protect victim privacy and no interior church photographs included in the release.
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