The newly obtained records indicate the suspected shooter arrived at the church heavily armed and left behind a gruesome scene. The records also indicate what else police hope to find.
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The attacker in a Catholic church school shooting in Minnesota that killed two children and injured 18 others arrived at the scene heavily armed with an AR-15-style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9mm pistol, according to court records obtained by the St. Cloud Times, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Among items police found at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis was ammunition, a 2×4 wood board with what appeared to be smoke canisters affixed to it and a belt of magazine pouches around the suspect’s body. The items are detailed in search warrant affidavits filed in Hennepin County District Court by Minneapolis police.
Police found the suspected shooter, Robin Westman, 23, at the back of the church dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The 23-year-old wore a mask and black “tactical” gear, according to police affidavits. The two children who died – Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10 — were found in the pews, according to the records.
Westman drove to the church in a gray Ram ProMaster City utility van with Minnesota plates, according to Minneapolis police records. The car belonged to the suspect’s father, according to a police affidavit.
Revelations about what police found at the scene come days after the attack on Aug. 27 that left 15 other children and three parishioners in their 80s injured. The school is for grades preschool through 8th grade.
Here’s what else the new files reveal:
Police interview family members
In the wake of the attack, police went to interview the suspect’s father.
Westman’s father told police that the suspected shooter had been staying at an address in Richfield, Minnesota, outside the city. Westman had moved in with a friend in St. Louis Park after a breakup, according to a police affidavit.
The suspect’s father told police that his child had previously attended the Annunciation church and school. Westman’s mother worked at the church and school in some manner, the suspect’s father told police.
What records show about the scene
Inside the church, police found “blood and other biological evidence in multiple areas of the church,” including bloodstains on the carpet and pews, police affidavits say. Outside the church police found two discarded bloodstained green shirts.
Police collected dozens of blood samples to be processed as part of the investigation into the attack, according to an inventory.
What else are police looking for?
Search warrants indicate that investigators expect to find additional evidence at addresses connected with the suspected shooter.
Among the items police expect to find, according to a search warrant, are weapons including firearms, explosive materials, ammo and financial records indicating how Westman obtained weapons.
Investigators also hope to uncover what motivated the shooting. Other items police expected to collect from Westman’s residences were cell phones, laptops, memory cards and any written documents, including a manifesto or “notes referencing planning, motive, targets, ideology, or grievances.”
Michael Loria is a breaking news reporter with USA TODAY. Corey Schmidt is a reporter for the St. Cloud Times, part of the USA TODAY Network.
