Minneapolis school shooter 'obsessed with killing kids' fired 116 rounds

The Minneapolis school shooter was 'obsessed' with killing children and unloaded 116 rifle rounds when he opened fire at a church of praying kids, police have said.

Two children died and another 15 were injured when 24-year-old Robin Westman targeted the city's Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday. Three adult parishioners attending the mass, which was being held on the first week of the new term, were also wounded.

The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. At a news conference today, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said officials had recovered approximately 116 rifle rounds, one live round from a handgun, and three shotgun shells from the scene. Mr O’Hara said handgun "appears to have malfunctioned as the shooter attempted to use it and became stuck in the chamber."

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'Obsessed with killing children'

Joe Thompson, the acting US attorney for Minnesota, meanwhile detailed how Westman had been “obsessed” with the idea of killing children and had carried out surveillance of his target in the months before the attack.

He added that investigators were still combing through evidence but had established the suspect’s disturbing fixation with school killers. Police revealed that within the past three months, the attacker had visited the Annunciation Catholic Church, entering the building to conduct what law enforcement officials described as “preoperational surveillance”.

Westman had previously attended Mass and school there, officials confirmed. Brian O’Hara, the Minneapolis police chief, said the shooter wanted to gain notoriety. O’Hara added that doors at the school had been locked from the inside during Mass - a precautionary practice that likely saved lives.

He also confirmed there was no evidence the shooter had obtained weapons illegally, nor did the individual have a criminal history. “I am not aware of the shooter having had a diagnosis of a mental health issue,” O’Hara said. Surveillance video from the church confirmed the attacker did not enter the building.

YouTube channel 'listed names of mass shooters'

Police also said they had found a YouTube channel believed to be Westman's that featured videos of weapons, ammunition, and the names of mass shooters. In what appears to be a suicide note to family, the shooter wrote of long-held plans to carry out a shooting, and spoke of being deeply depressed.

The now-deleted videos also show weapons and ammunition, scrawled with "kill Donald Trump" and "Where is your God?" along with the names of past mass shooters. There also were hundreds of pages written in Cyrillic, and in one, Westman wrote, "When will it end?"

There were no past arrests or anything in the shooter's background that would have prevented Westman from being able to legally purchase a firearm, investigators said.

Eight-year-old killed in shooting was 'wonderful' boy

The eight-year-old boy killed in the shooting has now been named as Fletcher Mitchell. In a statement to NBC News, his dad Jessie blasted the killer for being the reason they family can't "hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming."

He added: "Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sports that he was allowed to play. While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing."

A 10-year-old girl who also died in the shooting has not yet been named.