I can’t stop thinking about what I’ve been reading regarding the Annunciation church shooting. It’s terrifying on so many levels, not just because of the violence, but also because of what investigators are now uncovering about the suspect, Robin Westman.

The police chief put it bluntly—this wasn’t random. Westman had what he called a “deranged obsession” with previous mass shooters. That phrase alone sends chills down my spine. This wasn’t just someone snapping in a single moment of rage; this was someone studying, fantasizing, and planning with the goal of causing maximum terror, trauma, and carnage. To hear the chief say the motive was about personal notoriety makes me sick, because it shows the shooter wasn’t thinking of human life at all—only their twisted legacy.

The detail about the YouTube videos is especially disturbing. Imagine posting pages and pages filled with weapon sketches, expletives, and repeated references to killing. That isn’t a cry for help—it’s a road map to destruction. And yet, Westman didn’t have any prior arrests or mental health commitments, which makes it all the harder to stop someone like this before tragedy strikes.

What also hits hard is the connection to the church. Westman’s own mother worked there for years, retiring in 2021. Robin even went to the school tied to the church. To turn on a community that was literally part of their family history makes this even more heartbreaking.

And then there’s the other part—how Westman

supposedly expressed hate toward “almost every group imaginable.” It wasn’t just personal grudges but a deep, corrosive worldview aimed at dividing, hating, and destroying. That’s not just dangerous, that’s poison that spreads if left unchecked.

I can’t lie, this whole situation makes me feel angry and helpless at the same time. Angry because people keep finding ways to glorify past shooters instead of learning from the devastation they caused. Helpless because the system doesn’t seem to have a way to detect or stop people who aren’t on the radar until it’s too late.

This isn’t just about guns or mental health or online content—it’s about all of it together. We’re living in a time where someone can stew in this darkness, upload it to YouTube, and then walk into a community space with nothing but destruction on their mind.

For me, the lesson is simple but heavy: we’ve got to stay alert, check in on people around us, and take seriously the warning signs, even if they seem like “just drawings” or “just words.” Because as this shows, sometimes those scribbles and rants are exactly what they look like—plans for horror.

Prayers to the families, the church, and the entire community left to pick up the pieces of something that should never have happened.

– Zach