RFK Jr., HHS Probe Medications of Catholic Church Trans Shooter.

WHAT HAPPENED: Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced an investigation into whether psychiatric medication is contributing to the rise in mass shootings, following a mass shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by a transgender gunman.

WHO WAS INVOLVED: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), shooter Robin Westman, and the broader American public impacted by mass shootings.

WHEN & WHERE: The announcement came on Wednesday, following a shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis.

KEY QUOTE: “Something changed, and it dramatically changed human behavior.” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

IMPACT: The investigation marks the first time the federal government is conducting studies into the potential link between psychiatric drugs and mass shootings.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a federal investigation into the possible connection between psychiatric medications and mass shootings in the United States. Following the recent deadly attack at a Catholic school and church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by a transgender gunman, Kennedy called the violence a “health crisis” and said his department is conducting the first in-depth government studies on the issue.

“I certainly consider mass shootings a health crisis, and we are doing for the first time real studies to find out what the ideology of that is. And we’re looking for the first time at psychiatric drugs,” Kennedy stated. He questioned whether America’s high rates of psychiatric drug use—many of which carry warnings for suicidal or homicidal thoughts—may be contributing to a disturbing change in people’s behavior. “Something changed, and it dramatically changed human behavior,” Kennedy Jr. said. “We are the most over-medicated nation in the world… and we will have an answer.”

Reflecting on his childhood, Kennedy, 71, said widespread gun ownership has existed in the U.S. for decades without the kind of violence seen today. “When I was a kid, we had shooting clubs at our school… Nobody was shooting,” he noted. “There’s never been a time in America, in the history of humanity, when people walked into a crowd… and just started randomly shooting. It’s happening in our country. It’s not happening around the world.”

The shooter at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Robin Westman, is a transgender previously known as Robert. The former marijuana dispensary employee opened fire during a morning mass, killing two young children and injuring at least 17 others. Authorities are reviewing videos allegedly posted by Westman before the shooting, showing disturbing content including Pride and Satanic symbols, anti-religious messages, and calls to “Kill Donald Trump.”

Westman’s case follows a growing number of mass shootings involving transgenders in recent years. Audrey Hale, another transgender shooter, killed six at a Christian school in Nashville in 2023. In 2024, Genesee Moreno, a transgender migrant, attempted a mass shooting at Lakewood Church in Houston. Other notable cases include Alec McKinney, a transgender teen who carried out a school shooting in Colorado in 2019, and Jack LaSota, the alleged leader of a violent transgender cult arrested in 2025 for multiple murders.

Kennedy said that gun access alone does not explain the trend. “There are many other countries that have comparable levels of guns… We had comparable levels in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. Something changed.”

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