Crime
Authorities Seek to Question Mary Grace Westman, Mother of Minneapolis Church School Mass Shooter Robin Westman
MINNEAPOLIS — Investigators are seeking to question the mother of the Annunciation Catholic School mass shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, following Wednesday’s devastating attack inside the Minneapolis church school.
Authorities confirmed that the suspect’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, is wanted for questioning in connection with the case.
Law enforcement officials believe she may be staying at her condominium in Naples, Florida.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that investigators have so far “not been successful in speaking with the shooter’s mother.”
According to police, surveillance footage from the school captured portions of the shooting.
Chief O’Hara revealed that Westman fired 116 rounds from a rifle during the attack, which unfolded during a back-to-school Mass inside the church.
Law enforcement sources told investigators that Westman is a former student of the school, and his mother previously worked there in a staff role before retiring.
Court records show that in 2019, when Westman was still a minor, Mary Grace Westman filed a petition in Dakota County to change her child’s name from Robert Paul Westman to Robin M. Westman.
The petition stated that Robin “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
The shooting left two children, ages 8 and 10, dead and 17 others injured, including 14 children between the ages of 6 and 15 and three elderly parishioners in their 80s. Police said all surviving victims are expected to recover.
One of the first identified survivors is 13-year-old Endre Gunter, who was struck in the stomach during the barrage of gunfire.
His mother, Danielle, confirmed that he underwent emergency surgery and is now recovering.
“Our son was shot at school today, inside a church praying with his classmates,” Danielle said in a statement. She also thanked a Minneapolis police officer who rendered aid, hugged and reassured her son, and prayed with him before he was rushed into an ambulance.
The Gunter family said they are now focused on helping Endre “rebuild his life, his trust, and his confidence” in the aftermath of the attack.
The suspected gunman, Robin Westman, was later found dead inside the church from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, bringing the violent rampage to an end.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities reviewing surveillance footage, gathering witness statements, and continuing their efforts to speak with the suspect’s mother.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.