Hennepin County Medical Examiner Holds Back On Annunciation Shooter’s Death Report

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — After the Aug. 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office issued media releases identifying the two children killed: 10-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel.

That information came out on Aug. 28, a day after the shooting.

But weeks later, the office has not released similar information on the shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, who police publicly said died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

When asked why, the examiner's office told Patch that "the press release is not done on certain cases because of the manner of death." Shawn J. Wilson, Director of Medical Examiner Operations, elaborated in an email:

"As a matter of practice, this office does not issue media releases on when the manner of death is Suicide, but does release limited public data on victims of homicide."

That explanation appears to contradict the office’s own public records. In July, the medical examiner issued a release for a 24-year-old Minneapolis man, confirming his death as a suicide by gunshot wound.

Other media releases from the office, which can be viewed here, have done the same, especially in cases of murder-suicide or standoffs with police that end in suicide.

For example, in Feb. 2024, a Burnsville man killed two police officers and a firefighter before dying by suicide. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed his death as a suicide two days later.

The inconsistency has left a gap in one of Minnesota’s most high-profile tragedies: homicide victims are acknowledged publicly, while the shooter’s case remains absent from official releases, despite law enforcement stating the death was self-inflicted.

Patch has formally submitted a data request to obtain Westman’s records, but the medical examiner’s office said those reports are generally not available until 8 to 12 weeks after a case is complete, and can take longer depending on testing and complexity.

While Minnesota law does not require medical examiners to issue media releases, withholding one in this very high-profile, mass shooting marks a break from precedent.