Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey warned the public against succumbing to anti-transgender “hate” after the suspect in Wednesday’s deadly school shooting was identified by authorities as transgender.
“I have heard about a whole lot of hate that’s been directed at our trans community. Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity,” said Mr. Frey at a Wednesday press conference.
“We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone. We should be operating from a place of love for kids,” he said.
The Democrat added: “Kids died today. This needs to be about them.”
His emphasis on the transgender community’s image drew pushback from conservatives, including Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk, who accused the mayor of focusing on the wrong problem.
“No, Mr. Mayor. Anybody who is more concerned about the ‘trans community’ after this tragedy than the Catholic community that just lost two little kids to this monster, has lost their sense of common humanity,” Mr. Kirk wrote on X.
The suspect, 23-year-old Robin Westman, was found dead Wednesday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the parking lot behind the Minneapolis school after opening fire on children during morning mass, killing two and injuring 17, including three adult parishioners.
All the survivors are expected to recover.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X: “We have confirmed that the shooter at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, MN was a 23-year-old man, claiming to be transgender.”
“This deranged monster targeted our most vulnerable: young children praying in their first morning Mass of the school year,” she added.
Born Robert Westman, the suspect underwent a legal name change at age 17 in 2020, according to a document posted online by Open Source Intel and confirmed by multiple news outlets.
The application filed by the suspect’s mother, a now-retired employee at the school, said that the “minor child … identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
This guy is unbelievable https://t.co/XBgEFoDFcF
— Clyp Keeper (@DGrayTexas45) August 27, 2025
Despite Mr. Frey’s warnings, the shooting renewed concerns about a potential link between transgender identification and violence in young people.
Portland journalist Andy Ngo said on X that there is “an epidemic of mass killers who are transgender identifying in the U.S., as transgender ideology has become mainstreamed and institutionalized. This is a new phenomenon I report on and am smeared and threatened for doing so.”
Recent mass shootings carried out by those who identified as transgender or nonbinary include the 2023 Nashville school shooting, the 2022 Colorado Springs nightclub shooting, the 2019 Highlands Ranch STEM school shooting, and the 2018 Aberdeen, Maryland, shooting.
Others countered that such perpetrators represent a significant minority of all mass shooters. The FBI reported 24 active shooter incidents in 2024 and 48 in 2023.
“Fact Focus: No ’incredible rise’ in transgender shooters,” said Northeastern University Professor James Alan Fox in a 2023 article.
The LGB Courage Coalition, an organization of gays and lesbians that opposes gender-transition ideology, said after Wednesday’s shooting that adopting an opposite-sex identity is a recipe for mental instability.
“We will not speculate on whether this individual was on a medical transition pathway or if hormone use played any role in this tragedy until more is known,” the coalition said. “What we do know is that this was a man who held a belief that was not rooted in reality — and that belief was affirmed by those around him.”
The coalition’s leaders include Jamie Reed, a former pediatric gender center employee and whistleblower on “gender-affirming care.”
“Gender ideology may not cause violence directly, but it preys on the vulnerable,” the coalition said. “When fragile individuals are denied evidence-based mental health care and instead encouraged to affirm delusions, instability follows. Vulnerable people — especially youth — deserve care rooted in truth. No one can change sex.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, urged Congress to respond by passing legislation to ban “gender-affirming care” drugs and surgeries for minors.
“Gender dysphoria is a mental illness and children are being targeted by the multi billion dollar medical and pharmaceutical industry,” she said on X. “If they are willing to destroy themselves and how God made them then they are willing to destroy others and we saw that happen today.”
Westman left behind YouTube videos that showed a row of weapons and rifle magazines scrawled with messages such as, “Kill Donald Trump,” “For the Children,” “Psycho Killer,” and “Where is Your God?”
The profane comments included racial slurs and antisemitic screeds, including “6 Million Wasn’t Enough,” “Israel Must Fall,” and “Extra Thicc [sic] Jew Gas.”
“This level of violence is unthinkable,” said Ms. Noem. “Our deepest prayers are with the children, parents, families, educators, and Christians everywhere. We mourn with them, we pray for healing, and we will never forget them.”
