The gunman behind the Minneapolis church shooting has been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a transgender woman. Court records show she changed her name from Robert in 2020 with her mother’s support.

Armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol, Westman opened fire through stained-glass windows during a children’s Mass at Annunciation Catholic School. Two children, just eight and ten, were killed. At least 17 more, including 14 children, were injured before Westman turned the gun on herself.

Mayor Jacob Frey condemned rising hate after the revelation of Westman’s identity. “Kids died today. This needs to be about them,” he said. Police Chief Brian O’Hara added: “The sheer cruelty of firing into a church full of children is incomprehensible.”

Investigators are reviewing a disturbing video posted online hours before the attack. It appeared to show a church drawing being stabbed, along with weapons marked with names of other mass shooters.

As families grieve, the community is left asking: how can such cruelty be stopped, and children kept safe in places of worship?