Westman, 23, has been identified by authorities as the suspect in the mass shooting at a Catholic Church and school in Minneapolis.
The suspect in the mass shooting at a Catholic Church and school in Minneapolis has become the latest U.S. mass shooter to spark a debate because they are apparently transgender, but experts say such perpetrators are „extremely“ rare.
It’s not clear how Robin Westman, 23, identified recently. But court records reviewed by Newsweek show Westman was granted a name change from Robert to Robin in 2020. A judge approved the petition signed by Westman’s mother that said the „minor child identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.“
That prompted some conservatives to allege a „pattern“ when it comes to transgender individuals and violence, with some arguing that they should not have access to guns.
In recent years, conservatives have increasingly pointed to incidents committed by people allegedly identifying as transgender or nonbinary to suggest they are a threat. However, data shows that mass shootings by transgender individuals are rare and the vast majority of perpetrators are cisgender men.
„Mass shootings by transgender people continue to be extremely rare“, Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government told Newsweek on Thursday.
„To my knowledge, this is the first perpetrator since Nashville who identified as transgender.“The Context
Authorities said Westman shot dozens of rounds through the windows toward children sitting in the pews during Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday. Two children, aged 8 and 10, died. Fourteen other children and three elderly parishioners were wounded, but expected to survive. Westman was found dead by suicide, police said.What To Know
Benny Johnson, a right wing commentator, wrote on X that „one thing is VERY clear: the modern trans movement is radicalizing the mentally ill into becoming violent terrorists who target children for murder.“
Johnson’s post cited six shootings besides Wednesday’s incident since 2018 that were allegedly committed by transgender or nonbinary perpetrators.
