Minneapolis shooter Robin Westman’s mother, Mary Grace, has refused to cooperate with police after the deadly Catholic school massacre and has instead hired high-profile defense attorney Ryan Garry.

The mother of Minneapolis mass shooter Robin Westman has become a central figure in the aftermath of Wednesday’s horrific tragedy at Annunciation Catholic School, where the 23-year-old opened fire inside the halls of the school he once attended, killing two children and wounding 18 others before being fatally stopped by law enforcement.

Now, instead of working with investigators, his mother, 54-year-old Mary Grace Westman, has gone silent, refusing police contact and retaining a well-known criminal defense attorney.

Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed during a Thursday press conference that investigators have been unable to reach Mary Grace despite repeated attempts.

“We have not been successful in talking to the shooter’s mother,” O’Hara told reporters, emphasizing that law enforcement had sought her cooperation both as a witness and as someone who might shed light on her son’s mental state prior to the rampage.

Authorities also disclosed that four separate search warrants were executed following the shooting, with hundreds of pieces of evidence collected — including electronic devices, personal writings, and data from social media accounts tied to Robin.

Mary Grace, who was a long-time staff member at Annunciation Catholic School and well-known within the parish community, has become a figure of both sympathy and suspicion.

Hours after police confirmed her silence, she formally retained Minneapolis-based defense attorney Ryan Garry.

Garry, a high-profile litigator who has previously represented rapper Desiigner in a federal indecent exposure case and acted as counsel for George Floyd protesters, told reporters late Thursday that his client is overwhelmed.

“She is completely distraught about the situation and has no culpability but is seeking an attorney to deal with calls like this,” he said.

The decision to lawyer up immediately raised questions within the community, where many parents, parishioners, and neighbors expressed frustration. “We all knew Mary Grace as a kind woman who cared for the kids at the school.

That’s why this silence is shocking. People want to understand how her son got to this point, and her perspective matters,” said a mother of two children who survived the attack.

Investigators believe Robin Westman planned the attack carefully, citing a digital manifesto and a chilling pre-recorded audio message uploaded to YouTube shortly before the shooting.

In those messages, Robin expressed anger, despair, and deep conflict about his gender identity. “I’m tired of being trans. I wish I never brain-washed myself,” Robin wrote in one passage, also suggesting he would cut his long hair on the day of the attack as a symbolic gesture.

He lamented financial and technological barriers to medical transition, declaring, “I regret being trans. I wish I was a girl, I just know I cannot achieve that body with the technology we have today.”

The revelations have placed Mary Grace under even more scrutiny. In 2020, she had signed off on Robin’s legal name change from Robert to Robin, a move that appeared to reflect support for her child’s transition at the time.

Neighbors described Mary Grace as “soft-spoken” and “private,” but also as someone who remained devoted to her Catholic faith despite working in an environment where her child’s identity was at odds with church doctrine.

“She carried herself with dignity, but you could see the weight she bore,” one neighbor recalled.

Community members are now grappling not only with grief but with lingering questions about whether Mary Grace knew more about her son’s state of mind than she has let on. Some parents of victims have openly called for her to speak out.

“Two little kids are dead, and she won’t even talk to police? If she has answers, she owes them to these families,” said a father who attended a candlelight vigil outside the school Thursday night.

Mary Grace’s choice of legal representation has fueled speculation that she anticipates potential legal exposure.

While there is no indication at present that she will face charges, investigators are exploring whether Robin had access to firearms through his mother or whether she was aware of his violent intentions.

Attorney Ryan Garry has firmly denied any suggestion of complicity, emphasizing that his client is merely protecting herself from being vilified in the media and overwhelmed by law enforcement demands.

The case has also drawn national attention because of Robin’s identity as a transgender shooter, a detail that has sparked heated debates online and across cable news channels.

Some commentators have seized on his manifesto as evidence of social isolation and mental health crises, while others have warned against stigmatizing the transgender community in the wake of the tragedy.

For police, the focus remains squarely on reconstructing Robin’s path to violence and determining whether anyone in his circle missed warning signs.

Meanwhile, Annunciation Catholic School has suspended classes indefinitely, with grief counselors deployed to assist traumatized students and families.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis issued a statement calling the attack “a dark day for our community” and urged forgiveness even as families grieve.

Outside the school, flowers, teddy bears, and handwritten notes now cover the sidewalk, a painful reminder of the two young lives lost.

As for Mary Grace, her silence has left a vacuum that others have rushed to fill. Friends insist she is shattered by her son’s actions and incapable of facing the public right now.

“She’s a mother who just lost her only child in the most violent, public way imaginable,” said one longtime colleague. “People need to understand that.” But for families burying their children this week, compassion is harder to find.

The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities vowing to release more details as they piece together Robin Westman’s final days.

For now, the shooter’s mother remains at the center of a storm she never asked for but cannot escape — a woman caught between grief, guilt, and a community demanding answers she may not be ready to give.