The FBI is investigating Wednesday’s mass shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis as both an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime, Director Kash Patel said.
Patel identified the suspect as 23-year-old Robin Westman, born Robert Westman, and noted that Westman identified as transgender. “The shooter has been identified as Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman,” Patel wrote on X. “The FBI will continue to provide updates on our ongoing investigation with the public as we are able.”
Authorities said Westman opened fire during morning Mass at Annunciation Church, where students were gathered for the first service of the school year. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the attack “targeted our most vulnerable: young children praying in their first morning Mass of the school year.”
Police reported that Westman first shot through a window, then entered the sanctuary armed with three firearms. Two children — ages 8 and 10 — were killed. Seventeen others, including 14 children, were wounded. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed Westman died by suicide inside the church.
“This was a direct attack on people of faith, on children, and on America’s most cherished freedoms,” O’Hara said.
The White House ordered flags flown at half-staff. President Donald Trump called the massacre “an unspeakable tragedy” and pledged federal resources for the investigation.
Patel emphasized that the FBI is pursuing the case as a hate crime against Catholics. “We are treating this as domestic terrorism and a hate crime,” he said.
Community members gathered outside Annunciation Church for a candlelight vigil Wednesday night. Mourners prayed, lit candles, and placed flowers along the church steps still marked by gunfire.
“This was not just an attack on Minneapolis,” Noem said. “It was an attack on America’s faith and freedom.”
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