The family of a 10-year-old girl killed in a mass shooting last year has accused YouTube of failing to identify and remove alarming content posted by the perpetrator prior to the attack. Harper Moyski was among two children fatally shot during a mass at the Annunciation School in Minneapolis in August 2025. The shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, who had previously identified as male under the name Robert, opened fire at the Catholic church’s welcome Mass for students, injuring 27 others before fatally shooting herself.
Legal representatives for Moyski’s family have asserted that Westman’s social media activity displayed clear warning signs that were not adequately addressed by the video-sharing platform. Among the content highlighted were videos glorifying violence, firearms, and racial animus, as well as a detailed manifesto uploaded only hours before the shooting. This manifesto reportedly included diagrams of the church, indicating premeditation, according to the attorneys, who stated that law enforcement authenticated these posts as genuine.
The lawsuit planned by Moyski’s family centers on claims that YouTube neglected its responsibility to flag or remove the threatening material, which they argue could have alerted authorities or prevented the tragedy. The family is seeking accountability for what they view as systemic failures in content moderation efforts.
No official statement from YouTube or its parent company was immediately available. The incident has reignited broader debates over the role of social media platforms in monitoring potentially dangerous content and balancing free expression with public safety. The Minneapolis shooting remains one of the deadliest attacks involving a transgender individual as the assailant, drawing further public and legal scrutiny.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack and the online activities of the shooter, while advocacy groups emphasize the need for improved intervention mechanisms to detect and disrupt threats before they result in violence.