Residents of the Lynwood Commons Apartments in Minneapolis, where suspect Robin Westman lived, described him as an ordinary tenant with no discernible signs of distress. Mental health professionals who reside in the complex emphasized that Westman led a normal life, coming and going to work, ordering takeout, and occasionally hosting friends. They noted that nothing in his behavior raised any red flags, despite their professional expertise in spotting potential instability.
While acknowledging they would have noticed warning signs if there were any, both stressed that Westman seemed like any other 23-year-old. Despite this, they expressed regret at not recognizing the signs of his internal struggles, which ultimately led to the tragic Annunciation Catholic School shooting, where two children were fatally injured and 14 others were wounded. Westman, who died by suicide following the attack, was found to be carrying three firearms.
The pair, who are both mental health professionals and asked to remain anonymous, said Westman looked like any other 23-year-old — coming and going to work, ordering takeout and occasionally having friends over. They added that another woman appeared to be living with the shooter in the unit at the Lynwood Commons Apartments.
‘Didn’t look any different than any other strange person,’ the man said of Westman. ‘You live in the city; it’s a cornucopia of strange. What makes one person more strange than the other?’ This sentiment was echoed by the woman, who noted that, given their professional background, they would have noticed warning signs of instability if there had been any — but they never did.
‘We work in mental health and I never saw anything that would indicate issues. [Westman] just seemed like a normal young person,’ the woman said. ‘If there was anything beyond sketchy, somebody would have called long before now.’ They both emphasized that, given the size of the complex, composed of nine separate buildings, they didn’t have many interactions with Westman. ‘It’s communal living. You see people come in, you see people go out. You don’t pay attention unless something is really off. [Westman] didn’t stand out.’ Furthermore, they were surprised that Westman had no criminal record and no documented history of mental health problems, at least publicly available.
‘In hindsight, you’re always sitting there thinking, ‘I should have noticed something,’’ the woman said. ‘Obviously, [Westman] was going through things for a long time. Why didn’t [Westman] get help? Why didn’t people see the signs?’ Still, while they stressed that nothing in Westman’s day-to-day life set off alarms, both neighbors were shaken by the events at Annunciation Catholic School. Westman is accused of opening fire on the Annunciation Catholic School at around 8:30 a.m., while students were praying. Two children died while 14 others were injured along with three seniors. Westman, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot after the deadly shooting, was found to be carrying three firearms, according to authorities.
‘My heart breaks for the parents [of the school children],’ the woman added. ‘There are families who lost kids today. But honestly, I wouldn’t have thought any more of [Westman] than anybody else walking in or out of the building.’ She also expressed sympathy for Westman’s parents. ‘This is probably the first shooter that my head kind of goes to … God, I can’t imagine what their family is going through,’ she said. ‘It sounds like they tried to do whatever they could for the kid.’
Another woman who was walking her dog outside the complex said she had never interacted with Westman. All three residents said that police searched Westman’s apartment earlier in the day.