Officials in Minneapolis released approximately 1,500 photographs and hundreds of pages of documents detailing the response to an armed attack at Annunciation Church and School on August 27, 2025. The materials were made available one year after the incident as part of a records request.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of two children: 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski. At least 21 other children and adults sustained injuries. The shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, died by suicide. Law enforcement responded within approximately three and a half minutes of the initial report. Westman was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound by the time officers arrived and had been armed with multiple firearms, knives, smoke bombs, and ammunition.
Documents describe the initial scene encountered by officers, including victims positioned across church pews, significant quantities of blood, broken glass, and gunpowder residue. First responders performed triage procedures on injured individuals, with one officer’s intervention credited as potentially life-saving for an adult wounded in the parking lot. Witness accounts indicated that individuals in the church were attending Mass when gunfire erupted from outside, causing windows to shatter. Children reported taking shelter under pews or in other areas of the church, while preschool staff members barricaded classrooms.
Investigators found evidence suggesting Westman held what they characterized as hostile sentiments, including writings on weapons and equipment referencing previous mass shooters and statements attacking various religious groups, races, and ethnicities. A dashcam in Westman’s vehicle recorded footage showing the individual appearing agitated following a family visit and sobbing before driving past the church and school the night prior to the attack. Interviews with family members, an ex-girlfriend, a close friend, and former co-workers described Westman as isolated and prone to depression, though most said they had not perceived signs of capability for violence toward others. Additional documents and materials may be released in the coming weeks, with previously released materials redacted to protect victim privacy.
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