Minnesota state Democrat lawmakers shot in their homes, search under way for suspect
A Swat team responds to the site of a shorting in Brooklyn Park, Minn., outside Minneapolis, on June 14. PHOTO: TIM GRUBER/NYTIMES
Minnesota state Democrat lawmakers shot in their homes, search under way for suspect
WASHINGTON - A Democratic state lawmaker and her husband were killed early June 14 in what appeared to be a 'politically motivated assassination', while a second lawmaker and his spouse were wounded in a separate attack, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said.
'An unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in Minnesota - my good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, were shot and killed early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination,' he told reporters.
'Our state lost a great leader,' he said.
Mr Walz said that in a second attack, Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot multiple times, underwent surgery and that he was 'cautiously optimistic' that they would survive 'this assassination attempt'.
'This was an act of targeted political violence,' he said. 'Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.'
Law enforcement authorities said the gunman was impersonating a police officer and escaped after exchanging fire with police who responded to the attacks.
A large-scale search for the suspect was underway, they said. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
27 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
Trump's military parade steps off after day of protests against him, World News
SHINGTON/LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK -President Donald Trump's long-sought military parade rolled though the streets of downtown Washington on Saturday (June 14), but the celebration of the US Army's 250th anniversary was marred by a day of violence and discord. In the hours before the parade began, hundreds of thousands of Americans marched and rallied in streets in cities from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles protesting Trump's actions while in office. Earlier in the day, a gunman assassinated a Democratic lawmaker and wounded another in Minnesota and remained at large. Meanwhile, Israel on Saturday pounded Iran with a second barrage of strikes in a bid to destroy its nuclear programme after Iran retaliated with strikes the evening before, stoking fears of a mushrooming conflict between the two nations. All of it followed a week of tension in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration raids resulted in Trump calling in National Guard troops and US Marines to help keep the peace. Trump's parade, which falls on his 79th birthday, started earlier than expected. Thunderstorms were forecast in the Washington area. Thousands of spectators lined up along Constitution Avenue near the National Mall as the parade got under way with a brass band. Trump watched the proceedings from an elevated reviewing stand and was cheered when introduced. The president has long desired to hold a military-style parade in the United States, but such events have been rare in US history. In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War. The US Army has brought nearly 7,000 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles, including more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles, and artillery pieces including the M777 and M119. The celebrations will cost the US Army between $25 million (S$32 million) and $45 million, US officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself as well as the cost of moving equipment and housing and feeding the troops. Critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially given Trump has said he wants to slash costs throughout the federal government. Bryan Henrie, a Trump supporter, flew in from Texas to celebrate the Army's anniversary and did not see any issues with tanks rolling down the streets of Washington. "I don't see a controversy. I will celebrate safety and stability any day over anarchy," 61-year-old Henrie said. 'Shame! shame!' Earlier in the day, thousands marched in Washington and in other cities in protest of Trump's policies. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, and marked the largest outpouring of opposition to Trump's presidency since he returned to power in January. Anti-Trump groups planned nearly 2,000 demonstrations across the country to coincide with the parade. Many took place under the theme "No Kings," asserting that no individual is above the law. All planned "No Kings" protests in Minnesota were cancelled following that Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said was the "politically motivated assassination" of one Democratic lawmaker and wounding of a second. In Los Angeles, a large crowd of protesters faced a large contingent of Marines guarding the Roybal federal building downtown, the site of clashes between protesters and officers earlier this week. [[nid:718135]] Standing about 10 feet away from the Marines, the crowd yelled in unison, "Shame! Shame!" and "Marines, get out of LA!" Despite rain, thousands of people of all ages turned out in and around Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, many carrying homemade signs that played off the "No Kings" theme. "No crown for a clown," said one. Actor Mark Ruffalo was among the demonstrators, wearing a hat that read "immigrant." "We're seeing dehumanizing language towards LGBT people, towards people with autism, towards people with other disabilities, racial minorities, undocumented people," said Cooper Smith, 20, from upstate New York. "Somebody's got to show that most Americans are against this." Protestors in downtown Chicago stood off against police on Saturday, with some waving upside-down American flags and chanting: "Who do you protect? Who do you serve?" and "No justice, no peace". Allan Hallie, a 70-year-old retired gastroenterologist, travelled from the northwest Indiana town of Ogden Dunes to protest policies of the Trump administration. "I am quite afraid of the direction of this country," he said. Members of the far-right Proud Boys, ardent Trump supporters, appeared at an Atlanta "No Kings" protest, wearing the group's distinctive black and yellow colors. About 400 protesters, organised by a group called marched through Washington and gathered for a rally in a park opposite the White House. Trump had warned people against protesting at the parade itself, saying that "they're going to be met with very big force." Sunsara Taylor, a founder of RefuseFascism, told the crowd, "Today we refuse to accept Donald Trump unleashing the military against the people of this country and in the streets of this country. We say, 'hell no.'"
AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
Minnesota shooting suspect told friend in text message: I might be dead soon, World News
MINNEAPOLIS/NEW YORK/WASHINGTON -The suspect in the deadly shooting of a Minnesota state lawmaker and wounding of another had links to evangelical ministries and said he was a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa, according to his online postings and public records. A manhunt was under way on Saturday (June 14) for Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who police said is a suspect in the killing of Democratic Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shooting of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Police said the suspect had been seen earlier on Saturday wearing a light coloured cowboy hat, a dark coloured long sleeved collared shirt or coat with a dark bag. The FBI offered a reward of up to $50,000 (S$64,060) for information that could lead to his arrest. David Carlson, 59, told Reuters that he has been sharing a house in Minneapolis with Boelter for a little more than a year and last saw him on Friday night. Then about 6 a.m. on Saturday, he received a text from Boelter. "He said that he might be dead soon," said Carlson, who called police. Carlson, who has known Boelter since fourth grade, said Boelter worked for an eye donation centre and stayed at the house because it was close to his job. Carlson said he feels betrayed by Boelter and heartbroken for the victims, adding: "His family has got to suffer through this." Boelter was appointed in 2016 to the Governor's Workforce Development Board, state records show. The board "has a responsibility to advise the Governor on Minnesota's workforce system," according to its website. Political anger? Asked if Boelter knew the lawmakers, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said: "We are still exploring that." "There's certainly some overlap with some public meetings, I will say, with Senator Hoffman and the individual. But we don't know the nature of the relationship or if they actually knew each other," he told reporters. Boelter listed himself as having no political party preference. On a LinkedIn post six years ago, Boelter urged Americans to vote and value the process: "If you believe in prayer, please keep the United States in your prayers." Carlson said Boelter voted for Trump, was a Christian and did not like abortion, though he added that the pair had not talked about the issue for a long time, adding: "He wasn't really angry about politics." In social media accounts, public records and websites reviewed by Reuters, Boelter described himself as a Christian minister, a security expert with experience in the Middle East and Africa, and a former employee of food service companies. Boelter said he was the chief executive of an organisation called the Red Lion Group, based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He and his wife, Jennifer, also ran a security service called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC; Minnesota corporate records list her as a manager. The company website says it offers only armed guard security services, and Boelter wrote that he had been "involved with security situations in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, including the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip." The claims could not be immediately verified. Police were aware of reports that Boelter owned a security company, Evans said. Looking for work Boelter wrote on LinkedIn a month ago that he was looking for work: "Hi everyone! I'm looking to get back into the US Food Industry and I'm pretty open to positions" in Texas, Minnesota, Florida and the Washington DC area. [[nid:614782]] Nonprofit tax filings show that Boelter and his wife ran a Christian ministry organisation called Revoformation. The most recent filing, in 2010, lists Boelter as president. On an archived version of the Revoformation web page from 2011, Boelter said he was ordained in 1993 as a minister, and had been raised in the small town of Sleepy Eye, about 100 miles southwest of Minneapolis. In his biography on that site, Boelter claimed to have made trips to "violent areas in the Gaza Strip and West Bank where suicide bombings were taking place." "He sought out militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn't the answer," the biography says. Boelter said he went to St. Cloud State University, the now-closed Cardinal Stritch University and the Christ for the Nations Institute, a Bible college in Dallas. After firing at police on Saturday, the suspect abandoned a vehicle in which officers found a "manifesto" and a list of other legislators and officials, law enforcement officials said. Evans said police were still exploring what could have been the motivation for the shootings, adding: "It would be premature for me at this point to really say exactly what the motivation might be from these writings." Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the shooting "appears to be a politically motivated assassination."
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Australian PM to press Trump on tariffs, defence pact at G-7 summit
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he expected 'a constructive engagement' with US President Donald Trump. PHOTO: REUTERS SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will meet with US President Donald Trump at next week's G7 meeting in Canada where he plans to discuss trade tariffs and a defence pact put under review by Washington. The G7 summit starting on June 15 in the Canadian Rockies town of Kananaskis marks the first major global gathering of Mr Trump's second term. 'We do have a meeting scheduled,' Mr Albanese told reporters, adding that he expected 'a constructive engagement'. 'We'll raise tariffs, we'll raise the importance as well of Aukus, and we will have a discussion as two friends should,' he said from Seattle, as he makes his way to the G7 summit. The 2021 Aukus deal joins Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in a multi-decade effort to balance China's growing military might. The deal aims to arm Australia with a fleet of cutting-edge, nuclear-powered submarines from the United States and provides for cooperation in developing an array of warfare technologies. The Trump administration put the pact under review last week, but Australian officials said it was 'perfectly natural for an incoming administration to do'. 'The context of the Aukus discussions will be what Australia contributes, the potential that AUKUS has to allow for a range of benefits to the United States,' he said. Australia, a close US ally, has been slugged with a blanket 10 per cent tariff on goods exported to the United States – rising to 50 per cent on steel and aluminium – as part of Mr Trump's sweeping global duties. 'I will put forward Australia's interests respectfully, because it is also in the interest of the United States for Australia to be treated appropriately,' Mr Albanese said. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
