Assassination suspect arrested after fatal attack on Minnesota lawmakers
The man suspected of shooting two Democratic lawmakers, killing one, in what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination," was taken into custody, authorities announced Sunday night.
The suspect, identified by authorities as Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was taken into custody in rural Sibley County, about 50 miles away from Minneapolis, according to Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Boelter has a residence just outside the small community of Green Isle, which is located in Sibley County.
Boelter was arrested after state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed, and State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times and wounded in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, two neighboring suburban cities 10 to 20 miles outside Minneapolis.
Authorities searched Sibley County after receiving information that Boelter was seen in the area, Evans said at a news conference late Sunday night. The suspect faces state charges in connection with the two deaths and two attempted murders.
The U.S. Attorney's Office is reviewing whether the suspect will face federal charges, according to Evans.
Boelter had posed as a law enforcement officer to gain access to the Minneapolis-area victims' homes in the pre-dawn hours on Saturday, officials said. Authorities said he and police officers exchanged gunfire before he fled on foot.
Bob Jacobson, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said Boelter “exploited the trust our uniforms are meant to represent" and that it was "deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility."
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz remembers shooting victims
Walz praised law enforcement for the capture of the suspect and condemned the killing of Hortman during the Sunday night news conference.
"Melissa Hortman was the core of who our values were. She had a hand in so many things that happened," Walz said. "To Melissa and Mark's family: Cannot fathom your pain and the grief that you're going through. We'll take solace in the memory and the work that Melissa did, and you can rest assured that we will put every ounce of effort that the state of Minnesota has to make sure that justice is served."
Walz also credited the Hoffmans’ daughter for her "heroic actions," which "saved countless lives." The New York Times reported that charging documents showed that a child of the Hoffmans called 911.
In an update, Walz said John Hoffman had finished his final surgery and is "moving towards recovery" while Yvette Hoffman is "healing."
Local police chief: 'The largest manhunt in the state's history'
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley called the search for Boelter "the largest manhunt in the state's history."
Hundreds of law enforcement members participated in the search, officials said at the news conference late Sunday. Bruley said there were 20 different SWAT teams over an "extremely large area hunting" the suspect.
The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service also assisted state and local law enforcement in the search, officials said.
Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger and Evans said the suspect, who was armed, "crawled" to law enforcement and was placed under arrest. Geiger added that no force was used in the arrest.
Local sheriff's office confirms suspect's arrest
The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the suspect was arrested following a massive manhunt on Sunday night. The arrest comes after Minnesota officials requested the public's help in the case, which put the state on edge over the shocking political violence.
"The face of evil. After relentless and determined police work, the killer is now in custody," the sheriff's office said on Facebook. "Thanks to the dedication of multiple agencies working together, along with support from the community, justice is one step closer."
State House Speaker Lisa Demuth said on X that she was "grateful that this nightmare has come to an end with the suspect captured so he can be charged, prosecuted, & punished for the horror he has wrought on MN."
Minnesota AG says he is on the suspect's list found by police
Speaking on NBC's "Politics Nation" on Sunday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he is on the list found in the notebook that appeared to include the names of lawmakers and other officials.
"He had a list. He had a lot of people on the list," Ellison said on "Politics Nation." "He murdered my dear friend Melissa Hortman, who was on that list, and shot down my other dear friend John Hoffman who was on that list along with their spouses."
The attorney general underscored that local lawmakers and officials were not "intimidated" by the suspect. He also noted that the public must denounce the current climate of political violence across the country and called the shootings an "act of an evil individual who committed an evil, heinous, cowardly act."
"We are standing firm. We're standing strong," Ellison added. "Our resolve in our beliefs around liberty and justice for all are as strong as ever, and this guy cannot intimidate us."
Investigators urged the public not to speculate on the case
During a news conference Sunday afternoon, Evans urged the public not to speculate on “what the motivation was for this.” Authorities previously said it appeared Boelter targeted legislators who are abortion rights supporters, based on writings he left behind.
Evans clarified at the news conference that the writings investigators found were not in the form of a "traditional manifesto" and lacked details. They have not yet released those writings.
"This is a notebook — with a lot of that's been reported — of lawmakers and others that are listed in here," Evans said. "And then much more other thoughts that are throughout this, as opposed to a very succinct document ... and it's mixed in with other documents."
Unclear whether the suspect traveled by foot, vehicle
The suspect in the attacks had been seen earlier Saturday wearing a light-colored cowboy hat, a dark-colored long-sleeved collared shirt or coat with a dark bag, police said. The FBI also released photos of the suspect wearing a rubber mask and a police-like uniform at the time of the shooting, and offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information that could lead to an arrest.
On Sunday, Evans said investigators did not know whether the suspect was traveling on foot or by a vehicle. He added that there is currently no evidence that the suspect has a specific destination in mind. It was unclear whether Boelter had received assistance from anyone, though it appeared he "has certainly been in contact" with people, Evans added.
Information on the suspect has been shared with other neighboring states, including South Dakota, Evans said.
"We have not located any prior threats with this individual towards anybody," Evans said. "That will obviously be part (of a) deeper dive to really understand the motivation of this individual."
Authorities search in rural area near suspect's listed home address
Earlier on Sunday, a vehicle associated with Boelter was found in Sibley County. Authorities also discovered a hat that the suspect was believed to be wearing in the area, according to Evans. He said those developments led authorities to believe Boelter was in the Sibley County area.
Authorities on Sunday declined to specify the type of vehicle found in rural Sibley County and warned area residents to lock their doors and vehicles as police searched the area. The location of the vehicle was about four miles east of Boelter's listed home address near Green Isle, a small city of around 600 people in Sibley County, according to Reuters.
Green Isle Mayor Shane Sheets previously told Paste BN that Boelter lived just outside of the city.
"Suspect not located. Keep your doors locked and vehicles secured," warns the alert, as read to Paste BN by a Sibley County emergency dispatcher.
Authorities previously said the suspect's wife was stopped on Saturday morning, about 120 miles away from where his vehicle was found. At the news conference Sunday, Evans said investigators met with Boelter’s family, including his wife, and added that Boelter's family members were not in custody.
Shooting victim 'closer to every hour to being out of the woods'
In a text message shared on Facebook by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar late Sunday afternoon, Hoffman's wife, Yvette, said the senator is undergoing multiple surgeries after being shot nine times.
Hoffman "is closer to every hour to being out of the woods," Yvette Hoffman said in the text message.
"I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive," Yvette Hoffman added. "We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark. We have no words. There is never a place for this kind of political hate."
Earlier on Sunday, Klobuchar told NBC's "Meet the Press" that she had seen both Hortman and Hoffman at a political dinner on Friday, just hours before they were shot. She said both Hoffmans were "hanging in there" after undergoing surgery for multiple gunshot wounds.
Walz: 'This was an act of targeted political violence'
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension officially named Boelter as a suspect in the case. Authorities have not yet publicly released what they believe motivated Boelter, but many Minnesota elected officials repeatedly called the attacks politically motivated.
Investigators said they found in Boelter's vehicle a list of "many lawmakers and other officials," and Hoffman and Hortman were both on it. They declined to specify whether the list identified specifically Democrats or just elected officials in general.
"This was an act of targeted political violence," Walz said at a news conference. "We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree, that our state is strengthened by civil public debate. We must stand united against all forms of violence − and I call on everyone to join me in that commitment."
Minnesota suspect's wife found by authorities Saturday
The sheriff in Mille Lacs County said his deputies on Saturday morning assisted with a traffic stop of a vehicle in which the suspect's wife, Jenny Lynne Boelter, was riding.
Sheriff Kyle A. Burton told Paste BN that deputies assisted with the stop of the vehicle in which Jenny Lynne Boelter and other relatives were riding near a convenience store in Onamia, about 65 miles north of where the shootings occurred.
"We did not search or question any of the occupants," Burton said. "I was told by my staff who responded that the shooting suspect's wife was in the car along with several other relatives."
Burton said law enforcement from Hennepin County, where the shootings occurred, made the initial stop, and that his deputies provided perimeter security.
How did the Minnesota shooting suspect get victims to open their doors?
Jacobson said the suspect's disguise was effective because it so closely mirrored what real law enforcement officers wear. Investigators said Boelter was wearing a uniform with a badge and driving an SUV equipped to look like a real patrol vehicle.
"The suspect exploited the trust of our uniforms, that our uniforms are meant to represent," Jacobson said. "That betrayal is deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility."
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said the vehicle looked "exactly like" a police vehicle, and that Boelter was wearing a tactical vest and carrying both a handgun and a Taser.
Klobuchar said the suspect appeared to be wearing a full-face mask that disguised his appearance, along with police-style equipment and uniform. Boelter is listed as a director of security patrols on the website for Praetorian Guard Security Services.
"No question that if they were in this room you would assume that they are a police officer," Bruley said.
Suspect told friend he 'might be dead soon'
David Carlson, 59, told Reuters that he had been sharing a house in Minneapolis with Boelter, whom he had known since the fourth grade, for a little more than a year. He last saw him on Friday night and received a text from Boelter at about 6 a.m. on Saturday.
"He said that he might be dead soon," said Carlson, who called the police.
Who is Vance Luther Boelter?
Boelter is a St. Cloud State University graduate, according to SCSU spokesperson Zach Dwyer. Boelter wrote on his LinkedIn page that he was the CEO of a company called "Red Lion Group" and that he had traveled to Congo and several other countries, but those claims have not been confirmed.
Boelter is also listed on a website of a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services, which lists him as director of security patrols. The website describes him as involved with "security situations" overseas, including Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
Praetorian Guard Security Services, a residential armed home security company in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, listed Boelter as director of security patrols for the company, according to its website.
The company offered licensed armed security patrols, uniformed security, and event security, with the latter service coming soon.
"We drive the same make and model of vehicles that many police departments use in the U.S.," the website said. "Currently, we drive Ford Explorer Utility Vehicles."
In 2019, Walz named Boelter and dozens of others to his Governor’s Workforce Development Board, which according to the governor's website assists the governor in "developing, implementing, and modifying the state plan, review of statewide policies and programs, providing recommendations on actions to align and improve the workforce development system and programs," and other state matters.
Who were the victims of the shootings in Minnesota?
Hoffman and Hortman are both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Hoffman, 60, and his wife, Yvette, have one child and live in Champlin, according to his lawmaker profile. He was first elected in 2012. Hortman and her husband, Mark, have two children and live in Brooklyn Park, according to her profile. She was elected in 2004.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) is a political party exclusive to Minnesota, formed in 1944 when the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged.
Hortman was Speaker-Emerita of the House of Representatives, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans.
Hortman served her constituents with compassion and grace, Walz said.
"Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends, he said. "She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place."
Political violence in the United States remains a concern
The shootings are the latest in a spate of political violence across the United States. President Donald Trump has faced two assassination attempts, including being shot in the ear last July. Earlier this year, a man set fire to the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro over the Gaza war.
Political experts have warned that the heated discourse in the United States risks further violence, though it's been ongoing for years. In 2011, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, was injured in a shooting that killed six people at a constituent meeting. And in 2017, a gunman wounded Rep. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, during a congressional baseball practice.
A congressional committee earlier this year noted that the gunman in that shooting, which also wounded two Capitol police officers, was carrying a list with the names and descriptions of six members of Congress, including two Republicans who were attending practice that day.
How did Minnesota shooting suspect attack lawmakers?
According to authorities, police were called to a shooting around 2 a.m. on June 14 at the Hoffmans' home in Champlin. The Hoffmans had been shot and wounded and were transported to a hospital, where they underwent surgery, officials said. Walz said they are "cautiously optimistic" that the Hoffmans will survive.
Authorities said that while police were responding to the Hoffmans' house, officers in neighboring Brooklyn Park, who were helping on the scene, decided to check on Hortman. When they arrived at Hortman's home, they saw what appeared to be a police vehicle with lights on and encountered a man dressed as an officer coming out of the home.
Police exchanged gunfire with the man, who ran back inside and fled out the back door, authorities said.
"Political violence is evil. It cannot be tolerated, and neither can those who condone it or make excuses for it," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci and Eduardo Cuevas, Paste BN; Reuters