Where's the shooter? Where's the
shooter?
>> This dramatic new video shows the
moments after the gun attack as the
children flee the church.
[Applause]
>> The confusion for the young pupils and
their teachers is clear to see.
>> Oh my gosh.
>> Where are they?
>> This was filmed by a father of two
daughters who raced to the scene after
hearing the gunfire. and my I just felt
like I was going to throw up and I ran
in as the police were there getting
there kind of alongside it was just
chaos
um and just started helping kids out you
know saw a lot of injured kids.
>> Yeah.
>> Um it was tough. It was and I just you
know selfishly was just like where are
my girls?
>> His daughter June spoke of her fear as
the attacker fired through a stained
glass window and into the church. I was
scared about if um I would get hurt. I
was worried about like everybody
getting like hurt and injured.
>> The perpetrator was Robin Westman, who
in 2020 had changed their name from
Robert, wishing at that time to identify
as a woman.
Westman left behind a dark trail of
clues and online videos,
including a sketch of the church and its
pews,
and messages written on the weaponry
filled with hate and threats.
A manifesto was fixated on guns,
violence, and previous school shootings.
Westman also appears to have posted on
an obscure online chat room writing,
"I'm thinking on shooting up a church,
what music to play?" It's unclear
whether that left enough time to avert
the attack.
Investigators are seeking to unravel the
motive, but said tonight Westman had one
chilling ambition. One thing is clear,
and it's going to be hard to hear, but
it's important to the question of why
this happened.
More than anything, the shooter wanted
to kill children.
A much bigger tragedy was narrowly
averted. The doors of the church were
locked just before Westman approached.
And then there was another stroke of
luck. One live round was recovered from
a handgun that appears to have
malfunctioned as the shooter attempted
to use it and became stuck in the
chamber.
Amid the chaos of yesterday morning,
there had been acts of enormous courage
from young pupils.
>> We had one kid that covered up another
kid and took a shotgun blast to his
back.
As this Minneapolis community prays and
seeks solace in solidarity
across America, for parents and students
alike, fears are only growing of more
copycat attacks as the school year gets
underway.
Robert Moore, News at 10, Washington.