COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine ordered Wednesday that, in accordance with the President of the United States of America and in remembrance of the victims of the shooting in Minneapolis, the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the state of Ohio until sunset on August 31, 2025.
A mass shooting occurred on August 27 at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis—which also has a church—during a morning Mass welcoming the new school year. The gunman opened fire through the building’s stained-glass windows, resulting in the deaths of two children, aged 8 and 10, and injuring 17 others, including 14 children and three elderly parishioners. The shooter was identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who later died by suicide at the scene, according to multiple reports.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the suspected shooter was a male who had been born under a different first name. According to NBC News, court records show the suspect’s parent filed a petition in Dakota County in November 2019 to change the name to Robin M. Westman. A judge approved the request in January 2020, when Westman was 17, following a hearing. NBC also reported that Westman’s mother previously worked for the Church of the Annunciation.
According to NBC News, “Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey warned against any hate being directed toward the trans community.” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said on MSNBC Thursday that “he does not have any information about any previous mental illness of the shooter and that they were never confined for mental illness.”
