It was supposed to be a normal Wednesday morning. August 27, 2025. The air in the Windom neighborhood of southwest Minneapolis had that specific late-summer crispness as parents dropped their kids off for the first week of classes. About 200 students from Annunciation Catholic School filed into the church for their 8:15 a.m. all-school Mass. They were sitting in the pews, little kids paired with older "buddies," basically just trying to be still while they prayed.
Then the glass started shattering.
A lot of people today look for the "minneapolis catholic school shooting wiki" to make sense of the chaos, but the raw details are harder to stomach than a dry encyclopedia entry. This wasn't a hallway ambush. It was an attack from the outside in.
The Morning Everything Broke
At approximately 8:27 a.m., 23-year-old Robin M. Westman approached the side of the Church of the Annunciation. Westman wasn't a stranger. He’d gone to school there. He graduated in 2017. His mom even used to work in the parish office. Honestly, it’s one of those things that makes the whole thing feel way more personal and twisted.
Westman didn't try to go through the front doors. He had actually barricaded at least two of the side exits with lumber from the outside. Think about that for a second. He wanted to trap them. Armed with a 5.56 AR-15-style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a 9mm pistol, he started firing through the stained-glass windows.
The sound was unmistakable. One neighbor who lived nearby said he heard three shots and just knew. He ran toward the church. Inside, it was a nightmare of flying glass and screams.
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The Victims: Harper and Fletcher
Two kids didn't make it home. 10-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel. They were just sitting there. Sitting in a church, probably thinking about what they were going to have for lunch or that night’s homework.
There’s this detail from the police report that kinda breaks your heart: the school’s "buddy system" likely contributed to the casualty count among the older kids. Why? Because when the shooting started, the older students stood up or stayed upright longer to push their younger "buddies" under the wooden pews to protect them. That’s hero-level stuff from children who shouldn't have to know what a rifle sounds like.
By the time the shooting stopped—which only took about two minutes—30 people were injured. Twenty-six of them were schoolchildren. Three were elderly parishioners in their 80s who were just there for morning Mass.
Who Was Robin Westman?
Police found Westman in the rear parking lot. He had died by suicide. When investigators started digging into his life, the "why" started to get real murky and dark.
Westman left behind videos and page after page of writings. He talked about "long-held plans." He talked about deep depression. In one note, he wrote, "I know this is wrong, but I can't seem to stop myself." Basically, he was obsessed with mass shooters. He had a "deranged fascination" with the idea of killing children.
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There’s also the detail about his identity. Federal officials and the FBI investigated the attack as domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics. He had posted a video on a YouTube channel called "Robin W" where he pointed at a drawing of the church windows and stabbed it with a knife. On his ammo and weapons, he’d scrawled things like "Where is your God?"
He’d legally purchased his guns recently. No criminal record. No red flags that stopped the sale.
The Immediate Aftermath
The response was fast, but for the people inside, those two minutes felt like hours. Police entered the building within minutes and started rendering first aid. They found roughly 116 rifle bullet casings outside.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was visibly shaken at the press conference. He pointed out the obvious: these kids were literally praying when they were attacked. Governor Tim Walz ordered flags to half-staff. The community gathered a few miles away at the Academy of Holy Angels for a vigil that night. It was packed. People were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, crying, just trying to hold on to something.
Facts at a Glance:
- Location: Annunciation Catholic Church, Minneapolis (Windom neighborhood).
- Date: August 27, 2025.
- Fatalities: 2 children (Harper Moyski, 10; Fletcher Merkel, 8) plus the perpetrator.
- Injuries: 30 people (including 26 children).
- Weaponry: AR-15 style rifle, Mossberg shotgun, Taurus pistol.
- Perpetrator: Robin Westman, 23, former student.
Why This Hit Differently
Minneapolis isn't new to violence, but a targeted attack on an elementary school Mass felt like a new floor. Just the day before, on August 26, there was another shooting outside Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in the city. One person died there, too. It felt like the city was under siege.
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The "wiki" details tell you the numbers, but they don't tell you about the fifth-grader, Weston Halsne, who stayed flat on the floor while his friend shielded him. They don't tell you about the mother who had just dropped off her preschooler, heard the shots, and ran back into the line of fire to alert the teachers.
What We’ve Learned Since
If you're looking for a silver lining, there isn't much of one. But the investigation did show that the school’s security protocols—specifically the fact that the doors were locked—prevented Westman from getting inside the building, which likely saved dozens more lives. He was forced to stay outside and fire through the glass.
Safety isn't just about locks, though. It's about those warning signs. People who knew Westman mentioned he was "different" or "needed help" years prior. A former teacher noticed signs of self-harm. But nothing was done that could have stopped what happened on that Wednesday in August.
Actionable Insights for Communities:
- Stained Glass Reinforcement: Many historic churches are now looking into ballistic-resistant film for stained glass windows. It doesn't ruin the look but keeps the glass from shattering inward.
- External Perimeter Awareness: Security isn't just the front door. Surveillance of the "blind sides" of buildings where shooters might set up is becoming a standard for parochial schools.
- Mental Health Intervention: The "warning signs" in Westman's writings were there for a long time. Supporting early intervention programs for alumni and community members who show signs of radicalization or severe depression is a must.
- Reunification Plans: Having a clear "Family Assistance Center" (like the one set up in the school gym) is crucial for managing the chaos of the first two hours.
The Annunciation shooting remains a scar on the Twin Cities. It’s a reminder that sometimes the places that feel the safest—a church, a school, a neighborhood you've lived in for decades—can change in the time it takes to pull a trigger.
Next Steps: If you are a parent or educator in the Twin Cities, check with your local parish or school board about their updated "Active Shooter" protocols, specifically regarding external window security and reunification drills. Most Minneapolis schools updated these policies significantly in late 2025.