The school shooting in Minneapolis has left the entire city in a horrible situation.
According to reports, the suspect reportedly confessed in a manifesto that they “were tired of being trans” and wished they “never brain-washed” themselves.
Two children lost their lives, more than a dozen were injured, and families are now trying to make sense of something that feels impossible to understand.
Police confirmed the shooter was Robin Westman, a 23 year old transgender who once attended the school.
Investigators say Westman carried deep hatred toward many groups of people and admired past mass shooters.
In the days since, more details have come out about Westman and some of them are strangely connected to skateboarding. Police said that the shooter left behind notebooks, writings and markings on weapons.
Among them was the abbreviation SSBTS. To anyone outside of skateboarding this looks like random letters. To core skaters it is instantly recognizable. SSBTS means switch stance backside tailslide.
It is a trick that has been around for years and even showed up in the old skate video CKY2K. Seeing that term written alongside threats and violent words was confusing for many.
Investigators noted that the suspect included profanity directed at Nyjah Huston on a weapon. Authorities say there is no evidence of any personal connection between Nyjah and the suspect, and no allegations have been substantiated.
From what has been shared so far it looks less like any real personal link and more like a random fixation fueled by anger.
People in Minneapolis are now focused on mourning, on supporting the families of the victims, and on talking about what can be done so this does not happen again.
Leaders are bringing up gun laws, mental health, and how easy it is for people to spiral online without anyone noticing. Those are conversations that will continue for months.
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Watch here.