Neighbors say suspected Minneapolis Catholic shooter seemed like normal young person

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – A man and a woman living in the same complex as suspected Minneapolis shooter Robin Westman told Fox News Digital late Wednesday that the shooter seemed like a typical tenant and nothing in Westman’s behavior ever raised suspicion.

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?”

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“[Westman] looked like any other 20-something-year-old. Came into the building, ordered fast food, went to work, came home. [Westman] had friends. Nothing stood out,” he added.

Both emphasized 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 there are a lot of units in the complex, and they didn’t have many interactions with the shooter, given the size of the complex, which is made up of nine separate buildings. 

“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,” the man said.

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They also said it struck them as unusual that Westman had no criminal record and no documented history of mental health problems, at least publicly available.

“Because we saw [Westman] every single day … 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. Wetsman, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot after the deadly shooting, was carrying three firearms, according to authorities: a rifle, a pistol and a shotgun.

“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.