The weapons that Minneapolis church shooter Robin Westman used to kill two Catholic school students and injure 17 others were "lawfully purchased," the city’s police chief revealed.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara identified the 23-year-old as the "coward" who opened fire Wednesday during a Mass welcoming students to the first week of classes at the Annunciation Catholic School.
"As to the weapons used to perpetrate this horrific attack, there was a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. All three had been lawfully purchased by the shooter," O’Hara said. "At this stage, we believe that the shooter had acted alone. There is no indication of other suspects directly involved in carrying out this attack."
When asked by a reporter about where Westman obtained the weapons, O’Hara only said, "I can tell you they were purchased recently."
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O'Hara said during an appearance Thursday morning on NBC's "Today" show that four search warrants were executed Wednesday, one of which was at the church where the shooting unfolded and three others at residences around the Minneapolis–St. Paul area.
"We did not find any additional firearms yesterday. We recovered literally hundreds of pieces of evidence in total that we have to go through. There is some additional writings I would say, that the FBI is helping us go through. And we will be going through that, likely applying for additional electronic search warrants to search devices, but the focus remains trying to go through everything that we possibly can following all the evidence to its logical conclusion to try and determine what potential motive there actually is for this shooting," O'Hara said.
"Everything that we seen so far is really a classic pathway to an active shooter. We have seen a whole lot of hate against a whole variety of people and what we have seen so far, but nothing specific to point to as the motive for targeting this church and this particular incident," he continued.
"Thankfully everyone is expected to survive. Also thankfully, due to the procedures that the school had in place, that the church had in place, after the Mass had begun, the doors to the church were locked. So this coward had to fire from outside of the church, through the church windows and into the church. And we believe him not being able to get into the church likely saved countless lives," O'Hara also said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Wednesday it completed a tracing of firearms found at the shooting scene.
"ATF completed the urgent traces of the recovered firearms and has provided that information to all investigative partners involved in the shooting at Annunciation Church this morning," the agency’s St. Paul office wrote on X. "This information is for investigative partners only and will not be released to the public."
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The Annunciation Church said in a statement following the shooting that "You need to know that within seconds, our heroic staff moved students under the pews.
"Law enforcement responded quickly and evacuated all of our children and staff to safety in a matter of minutes when it was safe to do so," it added. "Tragically, we lost two of our beloved students before the scene was secured. A number of other children and parishioners were wounded, and they are being treated at area hospitals. Some have been treated and released. All staff are physically safe and accounted for."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told ABC's "Good Morning America" Thursday morning that "as horrible as this was, it could have been a whole lot worse but for the incredibly brave faculty and teachers that protected these kids from harm, the police officers that ran towards danger when the rest of us could have ran in the other direction."
Danielle Gunter, the mother of an eighth grade student who was shot at the church Wednesday, released a statement saying, "Our son was shot at school today, inside a church praying with his classmates.
"Our hearts are shattered – not only for him, but for everyone who was harmed," she added. "We grieve and we pray: for the others who were shot, for their families, and for those who lost loved ones."
First lady Melania Trump also said Wednesday, "The tragic mass killing in Minnesota illuminates the need for pre-emptive intervention in identifying potential school shooters.
"Early warning signs are often evident, with many individuals exhibiting concerning behaviors and making violent threats online prior to their actions. To prevent future tragedies, it is crucial we look into behavioral threat assessments across all levels of society – beginning in our homes, extending through school districts and of course, social media platforms," she wrote on X. "Being aware of these warning signs and acting quickly can save lives and make American communities safer."
Original article source: Guns used by Minneapolis church school shooter Robin Westman were purchased legally, police say
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