Who Was Robert Westman? Minneapolis School Shooter Robin Westman Is Transgender Daughter of School Employee Who Paid $311 for Her Name Change

The Minneapolis school shooter, Robin Westman, was a transgender woman whose mother worked at the school where he killed two students. Westman was previously known as Robert and filed a petition in 2019 to legally change her name, according to Court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail.

Westman requested the court to change her name to Robin, records from Dakota County, Minnesota, show. Her mother, Mary, signed the application for the name change since Westman was still a minor at the time. The request was later approved in January 2020, with the petition noting that Westman “identifies as female and wishes her name to reflect that identity,” court papers show.

Change of Identity

It was later revealed that her mother had worked at the school before retiring in 2021. Court records show the family paid $311 in fees for her legal name change to Robin. Westman began shooting through the stained-glass windows of Annunciation Catholic Church during a back-to-school Mass packed with children around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Westman was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot. Authorities are now looking into whether a disturbing 20-minute YouTube video posted on an account just hours before the attack is linked to Westman.

The video shows a hand slowly flipping through the pages of a red notebook placed over what looks like gun schematic drawings. The pages are covered in messy, hard-to-read handwriting, while smoke occasionally drifts up from the bottom of the screen as the person coughs and lets out bursts of unsettling laughter.

Other videos reveal the gunman’s obsession with mass shooters — including Adam Lanza, the gunman behind the Sandy Hook tragedy.

Westman was dressed in all black and carried a rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun to the church. Police said he was found dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters at a press conference that authorities had never heard of the shooter before.

YouTube videos show a variety of weaponry, including a shotgun and a semi-automatic rifle. The phrases “for the children” and “kill Donald Trump” were scribbled on magazines.

Face of Evil

Police said that Westman had parked his car close to the school, and detectives will be examining it as part of their investigation. Authorities have not yet revealed whether he fired from inside the church or carried out the entire shooting outside before entering.

Police also said that at least two of the church doors appeared to have been secured with two-by-fours, indicating the shooter may have intended to trap people inside.

Students at the Catholic elementary school, which opened for classes on Monday, were in mass when the gunman stormed the connected church.

The school serves children from kindergarten through eighth grade.

“I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information,” Governor Tim Walz said.

“The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.”

Classes at Annunciation Catholic School had just begun on Monday, and students were attending mass this morning when a gunman opened fire, Fox 9 reported.