Investigators Say No Red Flags Were Raised Before Minneapolis Church Shooter Amassed An Arsenal Of Guns

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More than 7 years earlier Robin Westman opened occurrence connected a Catholic schoolhouse arsenic Mass was underway, sidesplitting 2 children and injuring 17 much worshippers, constabulary were called to a townhouse successful nan Twin Cities suburb wherever nan shooter lived pinch her mother.

The heavy redacted constabulary study obtained by NBC News from nan constabulary section successful Eagan, Minnesota, is dated Jan. 26, 2018, and contains a two-word explanation explaining why an serviceman was dispatched to that address: intelligence health.

It besides contains a little synopsis that sounds “assisted Mendota Heights pinch a cheque use of a juvenile.” Mendota Heights is different Twin Cities suburb.

The sanction of that juvenile and what precisely prompted constabulary to beryllium summoned to nan three-bedroom location connected Crane Creek Lane were blacked retired successful nan report.

Two years anterior to nan intelligence wellness call, constabulary responded to a study of a “criminal offense” astatine nan residence, according to a constabulary report. But beyond noting that nan lawsuit was closed, each nan specifications describing nan arena person been blacked out.

Investigators probing Wednesday’s deadly wide shooting astatine Annunciation Catholic School successful Minneapolis proceed to hunt for a clear motive to explicate why Westman, 23, committed nan enactment of terror.

Westman, who died by termination aft nan shooting, was a trans female and had been a student astatine Annunciation. Her mother, Mary Grace Westman, had erstwhile worked astatine nan school.

Minnesota has a reddish emblem rule that went into effect successful January 2024, allowing family members and others to petition nan courts to person guns removed from a personification they judge poses a threat to themselves aliases nan community. The authorities passed a rule successful 2023 requiring weapon buyers to walk cosmopolitan inheritance checks and to get permits for pistols aliases semiautomatic military-style battle weapons.

But it doesn’t look immoderate alarms were sounded arsenic Westman amassed an arsenal that included nan rifle, pistol and shotgun utilized successful nan onslaught connected nan church.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Thursday that they do not person accusation indicating that Westman suffered from intelligence unwellness and, different than a postulation ticket, she did not person a constabulary record.

“There is thing successful nan investigation truthful acold that would lead america to judge that thing was missed,” O’Hara said.

The shooter, he said, was capable to “lawfully acquisition these weapons.”

O’Hara added that Westman’s family has been cooperating pinch investigators, but they person not yet located his mother, who lives successful different state. Records show her residence arsenic being successful Florida.

FBI Minneapolis Special Agent successful Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. said nan agency had not had immoderate erstwhile interaction pinch nan shooter.

“We did a cheque of each of our holdings, nan FBI holdings and he was not successful our holdings anterior to this incident truthful we didn’t person thing connected him astatine that time,” Winston said.

In nan aftermath of nan wide shooting, FBI Director Kash Patel called nan onslaught connected nan religion “an enactment of home coercion motivated by a hate-filled ideology.”

And constabulary are reviewing nan online videos, successful which nan shooter scrawled group slurs, a homophobic slur, antisemitic messages, a telephone for President Donald Trump’s decease and references to nan Holocaust and nan Catholic Church.

In addition, nan video showed nan fishy flipping done nan pages of a diary written successful English but utilizing nan Cyrillic alphabet. At times uttering “koshmar,” which is nan Russian connection for nightmare, nan shooter discusses nan mechanics of wide schoolhouse shootings and suicide.

A personification who went to Minneapolis’ Southwest High School pinch nan shooter and described her arsenic “a spot of a unusual personification pinch a acheronian consciousness of humor” said she ne'er heard Westman make immoderate jokes astir shootings aliases guns. But she often mumbled successful what nan personification believed was Russian, said nan erstwhile classmate, who asked not to beryllium identified for privateness reasons.

“People would inquire what she was saying and she would conscionable show them, ‘Oh nothing,’” nan personification recalled.

“Yesterday’s events were very shocking to everyone who knew her successful schoolhouse and nan full Minneapolis community,” nan erstwhile classmate said. “Many group do and opportunity unusual things successful their teenage years truthful galore group conscionable saw it arsenic her conscionable trying to beryllium ‘edgy’ aliases ‘funny.’ It’s very difficult to spot nan videos of what she planned and carried out. I was ne'er very adjacent pinch her but this is still very dense connected my heart.”

Twenty-seven woody angel figures on a roadworthy pinch bouquets of flowers surrounding them

Westman, successful nan journal, said she first began pondering wide execution successful nan seventh grade. In particular, she was fixated connected nan Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting successful Connecticut.

She writes that she has a history of making threats astir violence. In different portion of nan journal, she writes astir really easy it would beryllium to bargain a weapon and mentions that she has dropped informing signs to people, asking for help.

Westman’s parents, who are divorced, person yet to make a nationalist connection astir nan shooting. Neither could beryllium reached for comment.

Westman was 11 erstwhile her mother and father, James Westman, divided successful 2013. At nan time, she and her relative and sister lived pinch their parents successful Hastings, different Twin Cities suburb.

Police were called to that residence astatine slightest 4 times betwixt 2003 and 2016, including erstwhile for a use cheque for an big female, a sibling, who was threatening termination successful 2014. Also successful 2014, constabulary responded to a study of vandalism astatine nan home. Arriving officers saw respective violative words and pictures written connected windows of nan car shed and nan father’s car.

Another telephone successful 2010 related to a “juvenile problem” pinch a 17-year-old girl who was “out of control.” But thing successful nan records indicates that these incidents progressive nan shooter.

When nan shooter was surviving successful Eagan, she was still utilizing her commencement name. She didn’t go Robin M. Westman until property 17 when, records show, nan sanction alteration exertion was granted successful January 2020 successful Dakota County, Minnesota.

While Westman’s parents signed disconnected connected nan sanction change, her mother expressed conflicted feelings astir her child’s gender identity, said a erstwhile schoolhouse worker erstwhile asked what they remembered astir nan family. They said to NBC connected nan information of anonymity truthful they could speak freely astir family issues.

“She said, ‘I don’t cognize really I consciousness astir this’,” nan ex-employee said. “I deliberation she was struggling pinch her Catholic faith… She didn’t cognize really she felt, but it weighed heavy connected her.”

The ex-employee besides remembered that Westman was often sent to nan principal’s agency for disruptive behaviour and didn’t look to person immoderate friends. Westman’s mother expressed interest astir her child’s behavioral and societal issues, nan ex-employee said.

Faced pinch reward from schoolhouse administrators, Westman appeared alternately tense and nonchalant, nan erstwhile worker said.