The gunman who opened fire on children praying inside a Minneapolis church earlier this week was “obsessed with the idea of killing children” and appeared to harbor no specific motive beyond an indiscriminate hatred for society, law enforcement officials said Thursday.
The 23 year-old killer, Robin Westman, cut short the lives of two children and wounded 18 others Wednesday morning when he shot through the windows of the Annunciation Church during Mass. He died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the attacker “appeared to hate all of us,” adding, “More than anything, the shooter wanted to kill children.”
The victims were identified by their families as Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10.
“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away from us,” a tearful Jesse Merkel told reporters. “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking, and any sport that he was allowed to play.”
In a written statement, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin remembered their daughter Harper as “a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her.”
The FBI continues to investigate the shooting as a possible hate crime and act of domestic terrorism, though officials emphasized the attacker’s fixation appeared centered on harming children rather than a specific religious or ideological grievance.
Community vigils are planned throughout the weekend as Minneapolis mourns one of the deadliest attacks on children in a place of worship in recent memory.
