Manhunt intensifies in US after lawmaker killed, another wounded
Police and FBI agents waged a huge manhunt on Sunday for a gunman who killed Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband in Minnesota in what officials called a politically motivated attack.
As the search stretched into its second day, police appeared to close in on the shooter, finding
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NZ Herald
9 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Suspect captured in killing of US lawmaker and husband after manhunt
Law enforcement in Minnesota have caught the suspected killer of a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband, US media reported late on Sunday, ending a nearly two-day manhunt. The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, was captured alive in a rural area where a large contingent of local, state and federal agents
Otago Daily Times
9 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Suspect in custody after shooting Minnesota politicians
Police have arrested a man who allegedly shot dead a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband while posing as a police officer, according to ABC News, citing several sources. ABC News said the man was arrested near his farm near Green Isle, Minnesota, but Minnesota Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest. The sheriff's office in Minnesota's Ramsey County posted a photo on social media on Sunday which appears to show the suspected gunman, Vance Luther Boelter, 57, in custody. A massive manhunt has been underway following the shooting deaths of Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, which Governor Tim Walz characterized as a "politically motivated assassination." Authorities had said earlier that they had found a car, hat and other items belonging to Boelter in a rural area southwest of Minneapolis, but had not found him yet. "We're certainly operating as though he's still alive, and believe he is at this time," Drew Evans, head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, told a news briefing before the ABC news report. Boelter fled on foot early on Saturday when officers confronted him at Hortman's Brooklyn Park home. Police say the same gunman that killed Hortman had earlier shot and wounded another Democratic lawmaker, state Senator John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette at their home a few miles away, authorities said. Hoffman was undergoing surgery after being hit with nine bullets and "is closer every hour to being out of the woods," Yvette said in a text message posted to social media by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat. "We are both incredibly lucky to be alive," Yvette said in the message. Authorities in Sibley County, about an hour by car from the scene of the crime, instructed residents to keep their doors locked after finding the suspect's car. The location of the car in Faxon Township is about f6.4 km east of Boelter's listed home address in Green Isle, which was searched by law enforcement officers on Saturday. The gunman had left behind a different vehicle outside Hortman's house in suburban Minneapolis that resembled a police SUV, including flashing lights, and contained a target list of other politicians and institutions, officials said. Boelter has links to evangelical ministries and claimed to be a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa, according to online postings and public records reviewed by Reuters. The Minnesota Star Tribune, citing law enforcement officials, reported the target list included abortion providers and several dozen Minnesota Democrats, including Walz, who was also the Democratic vice presidential candidate last year, and Klobuchar, a 2020 presidential candidate. "There clearly was some through line with abortion, because of the groups that were on the list. So that was one of his motivations," Klobuchar said on NBC's "Meet the Press." The killing was the latest in a series of high-profile episodes of U.S. political violence, including the attack on former Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband at their home in 2022, the attempted assassination of Donald Trump during last year's presidential campaign, and an arson attack at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's house in April. Damon Voight, who lives down the road from Boelter's house in a rural area of Green Isle, said his wife was afraid with the suspect on the loose. "My wife is freaked out," Voight said. "She's like, 'We've got guns in the house, right?'" The city of Champlin, home to the Hoffmans, said it shut down its annual Father Hennepin festival for the weekend, which included live music and a carnival. Outside the state capitol in St. Paul, a small memorial had taken shape, with flowers, American flags and handwritten messages on yellow post-it notes. "Justice for Melissa," read one note, with a drawing of a heart on it. Klobuchar said she had seen both Hortman and Hoffman at a political dinner on Friday, just hours before they were shot. "We started out together in politics, moms with young kids, and somehow she was able to balance getting to know every door, knock on every house in her district, while raising two children - Girl Scout leader, she taught Sunday school," the U.S. senator said of Hortman, 55. The attacks started around 2am on Saturday, when authorities said the gunman shot the Hoffmans in their home before driving several miles to Hortman's home in neighbouring Brooklyn Park. The FBI released photos of the suspect wearing a rubber mask and a police-like uniform.
RNZ News
9 hours ago
- RNZ News
Minnesota assassination suspect Vance Boelter reportedly in custody
Police identified the suspect in the Minnesota shootings as Vance Boelter, 57. Photo: Supplied / FBI Vance Boelter, the suspect in the assassination and attempted assassination of two Minnesota lawmakers, is reportedly in custody. Boelter is accused of the targeted shootings that killed Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and injured Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife early Saturday morning local time. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the shootings appeared to be "politically motivated". Boelter, 57, worked for a security company - Praetorian Guard Security - according to a law enforcement official. The company website said Boelter served as the director of security patrols and had training by people in the US military. Police conducted a massive manhunt in Minnesota for the gunman who killed a Democratic state politician while posing as a police officer. The suspect fled on foot, when officers confronted him at Brooklyn Park home of Hortman and husband Mark. The gunman earlier had shot and wounded Hoffman and wife Yvette at their home a few miles away, authorities said. Minnesota US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, said on NBC's "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker" on Sunday morning that investigators believed Boelter was still in the region. Authorities in Sibley County, about an hour by car southwest of Minneapolis, issued an alert on Sunday, saying they had found the suspect's car in Faxon Township and instructing residents to keep their doors and cars locked, the county sheriff's office confirmed. Officers searched residences in the area. More to come
