The shooter who killed two young children and injured 18 more people in a Minneapolis church on Wednesday was “obsessed with the idea of killing children,” expressed hate for people from many different backgrounds, and “idolized” other school shooters, authorities said at a press conference Thursday.
The alleged shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, left behind hundreds of pages of writings that reveal “pure, indiscriminate hate” toward various groups of people, including Black people, Mexicans, Christians, and Jews, said Joe Thompson, the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota.
“In short, the shooter appeared to hate all of us,” Thompson concluded.
The suspect, who was found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound behind the church, did have one particular fixation, he continued.
“More than anything, the shooter wanted to kill children, defenseless children,” Thompson said. “The shooter was obsessed with the idea of killing children.”
