Minneapolis school shooting latest: Robin Westman ‘wanted to watch children suffer’ as officials probe motive
Authorities in Minneapolis are continuing to investigate the motive behind the horrifying shooting that left two children dead.
It comes after officials said suspect Robin Westman was fixated on the idea of killing children.
“I won’t dignify the shooter’s words by repeating them,” acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joseph Thompson said at a briefing Thursday. “They are horrific and vile, but in short, the shooter wanted to watch children suffer.”
The two children shot and killed in the school shooting in Minnesota have now been named by their families. The first was identified as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, whose father gave an emotional statement to reporters on Thursday afternoon.
Shortly after, Harper Moyski was named in a statement shared on her parents’ behalf, which described the 10-year-old as “bright, joyful, and deeply loved.”
Westman, 23, was identified as the shooter who fired through the stained-glass windows at the church next to Annunciation Catholic School around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, as students were celebrating Mass at the start of the academic year.
The shooter’s mother, Mary Grace, has retained criminal defense attorney Ryan Garry, known for working with NFL star Colin Kaepernick on representing the George Floyd protestors.
