Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman is a transgender woman whose mother worked at the school where two children were slaughtered.
Court records seen by Daily Mail indicate that Westman had previously been known as Robert, having petitioned to have her name changed in 2019.
According to court papers filed in Dakota County, Minnesota, Westman asked the court to change her name to Robin.
Westman had her mother Mary sign the application for a name change as she was still a minor at the time.
The petition was later approved in January of 2020, it adds that Westman: ‘Identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.’
It has since emerged that her mother was an employee at the school before she retired in 2021.
Court receipts indicate her family paid $311 in fees to have her name changed to Robin.
The Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey denounced transphobia after the revelations about Westman’s identity.
Court records seen by Daily Mail indicate that Westman had previously been known as Robert, having petitioned to have her name changed in 2019
Court papers seen by Daily Mail, and pictured above, show that Westman had petitioned the courts to have her name changed citing her identifying as a female in doing so
‘I have heard about a whole lot of hate that is being directed at our trans community,’ he said.
‘Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity. We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone.’
He added: ‘We should be operating from a place of love. Kids, kids died today. This needs to be about them.’
Westman shot through stained glass windows at the children sitting on the pews inside Annunciation Catholic School’s church on Wednesday morning before turning the gun on herself.
Two children aged eight and 10 were killed in the attack and at least 17 other victims – 14 children and three adults – were injured, according to authorities.
Westman was armed with three guns – a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol – police said. All were used in the attack and purchased legally.
A now-deleted YouTube account believed to belong to Westman shared what appeared to be a manifesto just hours before the shooting.
Police are looking into the disturbing 20-minute video, according to The New York Post.
The video appeared to show a drawing of a church. It then showed someone stabbing the drawing repeatedly as he quietly says ‘I’m going to kill myself.’
Other clips posted to the YouTube account show gun parts and semi-automatic rifle and a shotgun. The gun parts had the names of other mass shooters written on them.
One of the parts has a message on it aimed at President Donald Trump, calling for him to be killed.
Police said the gunman parked her vehicle near the school and they will be investigating it as part of their probe.
Court receipts indicate her family paid $311 in fees to have her name changed to Robin
Police Westman parked her vehicle near the school and they will be investigating it as part of their probe
One of the messages scrawled on the firearm called for President Donald Trump to be killed
A parent hugs her son during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church
Officials said in a press conference the shooter was armed with three guns – a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. He fired all three weapons during the attack, police said.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter approached the side of the church and shot through the windows toward the children sitting in the pews.
It is unclear if the shooter fired any of the weapons from inside the church or carried out the entire mass shooting outside before going inside.
Police said at least two of the church doors appeared to have been blocked by two by fours before the shooting, suggesting the gunman wanted to trap the people inside.
O’Hara said: ‘The coward who fired these shots ultimately took his own life in the rear of the church’.
He added: ‘This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping.
‘The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.’
The students at the Catholic grade school had started school on Monday and were attending mass when the shooter stormed the church, which is connected to the school.
Founded in 1923, Annunciation Catholic School had 391 students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The school goes from pre-K to eighth grade.
