Two children (8 and 10 years of age) have been killed, and at least 17 others were wounded on Wednesday morning after a gunman, identifying as “transgender,” opened fire on the stained-glass windows of a church during a “back-to-school” service.
The gunman, Robert Westman, aged 23 and going by the name “Robin,” glorified other mass shooters who targeted children and fantasized about “being that scary, horrible monster standing over those powerless kids” in his manifesto posted on YouTube.
Tim Miller, a former Secret Service agent, went on Tony Perkins’ Washington Watch to discuss the horrific attack and what appears to be a pattern of transgender assailants targeting children: “Unfortunately, it’s a repeated script. We saw this play out at the Covenant School in Nashville, a person struggling with gender identity attacked, again, innocent children that could not defend themselves.”
According to police, Westman’s gun magazines were sprawled with written messages, including “kill Donald Trump” and “for the children.” Westman concluded the shooting by making his way to the back of the Catholic church, where he took his own life.
In one of the videos posted to his YouTube account prior to the attack, Westman discussed how he enjoys dressing as a female, adding that he wanted to wear something “pretty” for “my shooting.”
According to reports, the videos additionally showed “the face of Jesus on a shooting target.”
Westman detailed in a written manifesto his reasoning behind targeting Annunciation School, which he reportedly used to attend, calling it an “easy attack.” He further strategized how to kill the largest number of children possible over the course of the shooting.
“I am feeling good about Annunciation,” he wrote. “It seems like a good combo of easy attack form and devastating tragedy, and I want to do more research. I have concerns about finding a large enough group. I want to avoid any parents, but pre and post school drop off… Maybe I could attack an event at the on-site church… I think attacking a large group of kids coming in from recess is my best planโฆ Then from there I can go inside and kill, going for as long as I can.”
In a letter to his friends and family, Westman justified his actions, writing that he had “wanted this for so long,” calling himself a good person “haunted by these thoughts that do not go away.” In a twisted ending, Westman cruelly told his relatives to “pray” for the children he was about to massacre.
While Westman’s suggestion of prayer is incredibly disturbing, it has not stopped Christians from petitioning the Lord to comfort those devastated by the bloodshed.
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, who operate alongside Samaritan’s Purse and deploy followers of Jesus Christ to minister to people in crisis, called for prayer: “As details emerge from the horrific school shooting that took place today at Annunciation School in Minneapolis, we ask you to join us in praying for the first responders, the wounded, the school and church community, and for the families that lost loved ones in this attack.”
Franklin Graham, CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, also encouraged prayer: “May God wrap His loving arms around the many hurting in this community.”
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