Minneapolis Church Shooting Search Warrants Reveal New Details And Evidence

MINNEAPOLIS — The heavy equipped assailant who opened fire during Mass astatine a Minneapolis Catholic schoolhouse was recovered dormant astatine nan rear of nan religion pinch an evident gunshot coiled to nan head, according to preliminary accusation successful recently released hunt warrants.

Robin Westman, 23, was located dressed successful achromatic "tactical" cogwheel pinch astatine slightest 2 firearms adjacent successful nan aftermath of Wednesday morning's rampage astatine Annunciation Catholic Church, constabulary said. Two children were killed and 18 different worshippers were injured.

A hunt warrant for nan religion said 3 guns were taken into evidence: a Taurus semiautomatic pistol, a Mossberg pump-action shotgun and a Magpul semiautomatic rifle. Police recovered a wood committee pinch a state instrumentality and a metallic propulsion pin connected nan ground, according to nan hunt warrant, items that whitethorn person been intended to beryllium utilized arsenic a fume bomb.

Investigators besides said they collected a knife, greenish fingerless gloves, achromatic mechanic gloves, headphones and a grey zip-up sweatshirt.

Police and first responders activity adjacent Annunciation Church and Catholic schoolhouse successful Minneapolis connected Wednesday. Tom Baker / AFP - Getty Images

A commercialized van — a 2015 Ram ProMaster City — had been parked down nan religion pinch astatine slightest 1 of its rear doors opened and a firearm lawsuit visible to officers, according to nan hunt warrant. The conveyance was registered to Westman's father, James Westman.

In a speech pinch constabulary aft nan shooting, James Westman said Robin Westman was his kid and was driving nan van. He besides said Robin Westman had precocious been surviving successful nan adjacent suburb of Richfield, but had surgery up pinch a "significant and/or romanticist partner" and was staying pinch different friend successful neighboring St. Louis Park, according to nan hunt warrant.

James Westman besides advised constabulary that his kid formerly attended Annunciation Church and its school, and that his ex-wife and child's mother had worked there.

At nan father's home, constabulary recovered a tactical vest, 2 outer media retention devices and various documents, according to nan hunt warrant.

The Minneapolis location belonging to nan suspect's father.Natasha Korecki / NBC News

In total, constabulary listed 100 pieces of evidence, including T-shirts, bullets and cartridges, to beryllium tested by nan Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. A Minneapolis Police Department spot study besides lists 158 pieces of evidence, including nan guns, nan items appearing to beryllium to nan shooter, and a USB and iPhone taken from nan vehicle.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara told reporters Thursday that Robin Westman's family has been cooperating pinch investigators, though they had not spoken to his mother, Mary Grace Westman. Records show that she has a residence successful Florida and that she has hired a criminal defense attorney, Ryan Garry. He declined to remark Thursday.

Police person not said whether Mary Grace Westman aliases immoderate family members perchance look charges. O'Hara said that nan weapons utilized successful nan shooting were precocious legally purchased and that location was nary erstwhile denotation that Robin Westman, who was a transgender woman, suffered from intelligence illness. Westman had nary constabulary record, too a postulation ticket.

Investigators are continuing to hunt for a clear motive for nan onslaught and what led Westman to occurrence a firearm done nan broadside windows of Annunciation Catholic School's church, aiming astatine children sitting successful nan pews, conscionable earlier 8:30 a.m.

Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski.Courtesy Merkel and Moyski families

Two children, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, were killed. Fifteen different children, ages 6 to 15, were injured, arsenic good arsenic 3 big parishioners successful their 80s.

Westman near down videos online pinch disturbing contented and writings that referred to suicide.

The FBI's typical supplier successful complaint successful Minneapolis, Alvin Winston Sr., said nan agency had not had immoderate erstwhile interaction pinch nan shooter.

FBI Director Kash Patel called nan onslaught "an enactment of home coercion motivated by a hate-filled ideology."

Police are continuing to reappraisal nan online videos posted by Westman, successful which nan shooter wrote group slurs, a homophobic slur, antisemitic messages, a telephone for President Donald Trump's decease and references to nan Holocaust and nan Catholic Church.

Besides nan religion and James Westman's home, 2 different adjacent residences associated pinch nan shooter were searched arsenic portion of nan investigation.

"Additional firearms are being recovered from those residences arsenic we speak," O'Hara told reporters Wednesday.

Brianna Seidl, a neighbour of nan location successful St. Louis Park wherever Westman had been living, said Friday that she would spot Westman occasionally rollerblading aliases skateboarding successful nan neighborhood. Police swarmed nan location connected Wednesday conscionable earlier 11 a.m., Seidl said, and called connected a loudspeaker for a resident to travel out.

Police put be aware portion astir nan segment and carted retired boxes, she added.

The resident "was very compliant pinch them. Kind of seemed for illustration immoderate you sewage to do, do it, type of situation," Seidl said.

Selina Guevara reported from Minneapolis, Erik Ortiz from New York and Cat Corrigan from Chicago.