A former Secret Service agent has placed the blame for the recent Minneapolis church shooting squarely on the shoulders of Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz and other left-wing officials in the state.
During a segment on The Ingraham Angle, Rich Staropoli, the former agent, weighed in on the tragic mass shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, where two children lost their lives and 18 others were injured, including 15 children. The panel discussed the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, and Ingraham asked Staropoli whether he believed any prosecutions were warranted, especially considering that the shooter had taken his own life.
Staropoli wasted no time in placing blame on several political figures, starting with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “Absolutely. I think you’ve got to start going after this idiot Jacob Frey, right, and his ridiculous, insane ideology with the transgender community here,” he said. He continued, accusing Frey of providing “top cover” for people he described as the “most mentally unbalanced group of people in the entire world.” Staropoli specifically pointed to the mayor’s efforts to defend the transgender community while disregarding the violent behavior associated with the shooter. The former Secret Service agent expressed anger that Frey tried to deflect attention from the shooter and the root causes of such acts of violence.
Staropoli further accused the left-wing ideology of fueling the attack, stating, “The left created this shooter.” He elaborated that Frey’s rhetoric, along with the broader political climate around transgender rights and the left’s criticism of former President Trump, had created a dangerous environment for people like the shooter. “Jacob Frey and his ideologies, coupled with his rantings about how Trump and his Nazi-like dictatorship has created an environment where the transgender community will be erased by the Catholic Church, that’s what prompted this kid to go out and shoot up that church today,” Staropoli claimed. He argued that the shooter’s actions were the direct result of the divisive political discourse being promoted by the left.
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Further criticizing left-wing leadership, Staropoli blamed Democratic leaders such as “Tampon” Tim Walz and their counterparts in major cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles for creating an environment that enabled such violence. He argued that these politicians provided a “cover” for mentally unstable individuals, ultimately leading to tragic events like the shooting. “This kid didn’t just wake up this morning and do this,” Staropoli stated. “This is something that has been festering and growing for months now.” According to Staropoli, the shooter’s actions had been building for some time, and it was no coincidence that the attack occurred on the first day of school.
Staropoli also suggested that the shooter’s family and friends should have seen the warning signs. He speculated that the shooter’s loved ones were aware of his mental state and the potential for violence, yet did nothing to intervene. “There is no way his family, his friends, and his mother didn’t know about this,” he said. The agent’s comments sparked further debate about the role of political ideology, mental health, and gun control in shaping the environment that led to this tragedy.
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Investigators also revealed this week that the shooter’s mother is not cooperating with them.
Fox News reported that the shooter’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, has hired Ryan Garry as her criminal defense lawyer.
When asked why the mother obtained a criminal attorney, Garry told Fox, “She is completely distraught about the situation and has no culpability but is seeking an attorney to deal with calls like this.”
Brian O’Hara, the chief of police in Minneapolis, said that dozens of interviews have been done with the shooter’s family, friends, coworkers, and people who saw the carnage at Annunciation Catholic Church.
“I know we have not been successful in talking to the shooter’s mother, yet, at this time,” O’Hara said during a news conference Thursday. “But there continue to be efforts made to get that done.”
Court documents show the shooter’s mother applied for her son to legally change his name, writing in 2019, “minor identifies as female and wants her name to reflect the identification.”
It is not clear why the shooter’s mother is not cooperating with investigators.
When a reporter asked O’Hara on Thursday if detectives had talked to the shooter’s father, he first said he couldn’t say for sure.
But in the background, the chief talked for a short time with Drew Evans, who is in charge of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Evans told the chief that his detectives had talked to the father.
But police haven’t said yet whether the shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, lived with his parents or with his mother. They know that person has three homes linked to them.
“I can’t verify right now which residence he was staying at immediately prior to the shooting, but that’s obviously something that will come with the investigation as it continues,” O’Hara said.[/read]