Alleged gunman went to homes of two other intended targets, police say
But one of the other politicians was not home and the suspect left the other house after police arrived, acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson said at a press conference on Monday.
The suspect, Vance Boelter, surrendered to police on Sunday after they found him in the woods near his home following a massive manhunt that began early on Saturday near Minneapolis.
He is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.
Authorities say he also shot senator John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. They were injured at their residence about nine miles away.
The 57-year-old Boelter was charged with federal murder and stalking offenses. He already faces state charges, including murder and attempted murder.
'Boelter planned his attack carefully' by researching his intended victims and their families and conducting surveillance of their homes and taking notes, Mr Thompson said.
Though the targets were Democrats and elected officials, Mr Thompson said it was too soon to speculate on any sort of political ideology that could explain his motives.
Mr Thompson said it was too early to say if the Justice Department would seek the death penalty but noted that that was among the options available to the government based on the charges.
The counts charged in the criminal complaint could be amended by prosecutors as they pursue a grand jury indictment as a prerequisite for bringing the case to trial.
Authorities declined to name the two other elected officials whom Boelter allegedly stalked but who escaped harm. But it was clear the shootings were politically motivated, they said.
'This was a targeted attack against individuals who answered the call to public service,' said Alvin Winston, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Minneapolis field office.
The resulting search, he said, was the largest manhunt in the history of Minnesota.
Boelter's wife consented to a search of her phone by law enforcement, according to an FBI affidavit that cites from a text from Boelter to a family group chat: 'Dad went to war last night … I don't wanna say more because I don't wanna implicate anybody.'
Earlier, the search for Boelter was the 'largest manhunt in the state's history,' Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
Jury finds MyPillow founder defamed a former voting equipment firm employee
DENVER — A federal jury in Colorado on Monday found that one of the nation's most prominent election conspiracy theorists, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, defamed a former employee for a leading voting equipment company after the 2020 presidential election. The employee, Eric Coomer, sued after Lindell called him a traitor and accusations about him stealing the election were streamed on Lindell's online media platform. Coomer was the security and product strategy director at Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, whose voting machines became the target of elaborate conspiracy theories among allies of President Donald Trump, who continues to falsely claim that his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 was due to widespread fraud. Dominion won a $787 million settlement in a defamation lawsuit it filed against Fox News over its airing of false claims against the company and has another lawsuit against the conservative network Newsmax. Newsmax apologized to Coomer in 2021 for airing false allegations against him. Coomer said during the two-week Lindell trial that his career and life were destroyed by the statements. His lawyers said Lindell either knew the statements were lies, or conveyed them recklessly without knowing if they were true. Lindell's lawyers denied the claims and said his online platform, formerly known as Frankspeech, is not liable for statements made by others. Lindell said he went to trial to draw attention to the need to get rid of electronic voting machines that have been targeted in a web of conspiracy theories. He said he used to be worth about $60 million before he started speaking out about the 2020 election and is now $10 million in debt. Reviews, recounts and audits in the battleground states where Trump contested his loss in 2020 all affirmed Democrat Joe Biden's victory. Trump's attorney general at the time said there was no evidence of widespread fraud, and Trump and his allies lost dozens of court cases seeking to overturn the result. Lindell stuck by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen during the trial, but did not call any experts to present evidence of his claims. Lindell said his beliefs that the 2020 election was tainted by fraud were influenced by watching the 2020 HBO documentary 'Kill Chain' and by the views of Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. In an interview for a documentary Lindell made in 2021, Flynn said foreign interference was going to happen in U.S. elections, and Lindell said he had no reason to doubt the claim since Flynn had worked for both political parties in intelligence. Lindell distanced himself from an account by a Colorado podcaster who claimed to have heard a conference call from the anti-fascist group Antifa before the 2020 election. The podcast claimed that on the call someone named Eric from Dominion said he would make sure that Trump would not win, a story that was recounted on Frankspeech during a 2021 event. Lindell said he only learned about that during the trial. Lindell said he never accused Coomer of rigging the election, but he did say he was upset because he said Newsmax blocked him from being able to go on air to talk about voting machines after it apologized to Coomer. Coomer denied there was any such deal to block Lindell under his agreement with the network. Coomer's lawyers tried to show how their client's life was devastated by the conspiracy theories spreading about him. Lindell was comparatively late to seize on Coomer, not mentioning him until February 2021, well after his name had been circulated by other Trump partisans. Coomer said the conspiracy theories cost him his job, his mental health and the life he'd built and said Lindell's statements were the most distressing of all. He specifically pointed to a statement on May 9, 2021, when Lindell described what he believed Coomer had done as 'treason.' Lindell's attorneys argued that Coomer's reputation was already in tatters by the time Lindell mentioned him. They said that was partly because of Coomer's own Facebook posts disparaging Trump, which the former Dominion employee acknowledged were 'hyperbolic' and had been a mistake.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Reason 2 politicians had lucky escapes from gunman who killed and injured others
Another politician who was on Vance Boelter's hit list was on holiday, while the other was spared as the suspect left their home after police arrived early on Sunday The man accused of killing a Minnesota politician and wounding another also went to the homes of two other legislators on the night of the shootings, a federal prosecutor said on Monday. Acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson said during a press conference that the suspect, Vance Boelter, intended to inflict more carnage against those on his hitlist. The gunman had meticulously planned out the attacks, carrying out surveillance missions, taking notes on the homes and people he targeted and disguising himself as a police officer on the night of the attacks, Mr Thompson revealed. However, two other politicians had lucky escapes as one of them was on holiday, while the other was spared as the suspect left their home after police arrived early on Sunday. The federal prosecutor said: "It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmare." On Sunday, Boelter surrendered to police after they found him in the woods near his home following a massive manhunt over nearly two days that began near Minneapolis. He is accused of posing as an officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. Authorities say he also shot Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, who lived just a few miles away. On Monday, authorities announced the 57-year-old suspect has been charged with federal murder and stalking offences. He already faces state charges, including murder and attempted murder. During the investigation, it emerged that Boelter had many notebooks full of plans and made efforts to find the addresses of his victims and their family members, Mr Thompson said. However, authorities have not found any writings that would "clearly identify what motivated him," he said. Though the targets were Democrats and elected officials, Mr Thompson said it was too soon to speculate on any sort of political ideology that could explain his motives. Authorities declined to name the two other elected officials whom Boelter allegedly stalked but who escaped harm, but it was clear the shootings were politically motivated. Alvin Winston, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Minneapolis field office, said: "This was a targeted attack against individuals who answered the call to public service." The resulting search, he said, was the largest search for a suspect in the history of the state. Boelter's wife consented to a search of her phone by law enforcement, according to an FBI affidavit that cites from a text from Boelter to a family group chat: "Dad went to war last night ... I don't wanna say more because I don't wanna implicate anybody." His wife got another text that said: "Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation ... there's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around," the affidavit said. At one point, Boelter bought an electronic bike and a Buick sedan from someone he met at a bus stop in north Minneapolis, the federal affidavit said. Police found the sedan abandoned on a highway Sunday morning. In the car, law enforcement found a cowboy hat Boelter had been seen wearing in surveillance footage as well as a letter written to the FBI, authorities said. The letter said it was written by "Dr. Vance Luther Boulter" and said he was "the shooter at large in Minnesota involved in the 2 shootings." The car was found in rural Sibley County, where Boelter lived, and a police officer reported that he believed he saw Boelter running into the woods. Police called in 20 different tactical teams, divvying up the area to search. During the search, police said they confirmed someone was in the woods and searched for hours, using a helicopter and officers on foot, until they found Boelter. He gave himself up to police, crawling out to officers before he was handcuffed and taken into custody in a field, authorities said. Jail records show Boelter was booked into the Hennepin County Jail early on Monday. Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said the violence likely would have continued had Brooklyn Park officers not checked on Hortman's home, causing Boelter to flee. The Hoffmans were attacked first at their home in Champlin early on Saturday. A criminal complaint unsealed after Boelter's arrest indicated their adult daughter called 911 to say a masked person had come to the door and shot her parents. After police in nearby Brooklyn Park learned that a politician had been shot, they sent patrol officers to check on the Hortmans' home. Brooklyn Park police officers arrived just in time to see Boelter shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home and exchanged gunfire with Boelter, who fled into the home before escaping, the complaint said. Melissa Hortman was found dead inside, according to the document. Authorities said Boelter posed as a police officer, even allegedly altering a vehicle to make it look like a police car. A Minnesota politician said that Hortman's dog had to be euthanised after being shot in the attack. "Her children had to put down him after learning their parents had been murdered, " Rep. Erin Koegel posted on the social media platform X. "Gilbert wasn't going to survive. Melissa loved that dog. She trained him as a service dog. He flunked out of school and she was so happy he failed so he could stay!" A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from the fake police vehicle at the crime scene, said two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss details of the ongoing investigation. The writings and list of names included prominent state and federal politicians and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates and information about health care facilities, according to the officials. A Minnesota official told the AP that politicians who had been outspoken in favour of abortion rights were on the list. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, records show, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other. Just hours after the shootings, Boelter texted friends to apologise for his actions, though he didn't say what he had done. "I'm going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way," he wrote in messages viewed by the AP.
NBC News
5 hours ago
- NBC News
'Stuff of nightmares': Prosecutor reveals chilling details of attacks on Minnesota lawmakers
The man suspected of fatally shooting a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and wounding another and his wife had 'stalked his victims like prey' before opening fire at their homes, elaborately disguised as a law enforcement officer, prosecutors said Monday. Vance Boelter, 57, was allegedly wearing a 'hyper realistic' silicone face mask, a tactical vest and body armor when he arrived at the Champlin home of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, early Saturday, according to Joseph Thompson, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota. Wielding a flashlight and a handgun, Boelter allegedly knocked on the Hoffmans' door around 2 a.m. and shouted, 'This is the police! Open the door!' His black SUV had emergency lights and a license plate that read 'police,' Thompson said. The couple answered the door together, the prosecutor said at a news conference. He said Boelter shined his flashlight in their faces, said there had been a shooting reported in the house and asked them if they had weapons. When Boelter lowered his flashlight, the couple shouted that he was not a police officer. Prosecutors said Boelter then announced 'this is a robbery' and tried to force himself into their home. Hoffman tried to push Boelter out of his home, but the suspect shot him and his wife repeatedly before fleeing to his next target's home, Thompson said. The Hoffmans' daughter called 911. The couple were severely injured and remained hospitalized. Meanwhile, Boelter continued on his alleged rampage, which he appeared to have plotted for 'quite some time,' though it's still unclear why, officials said. Authorities said there were more than 45 names of state and federal elected officials in multiple notebooks found in the suspect's SUV and home. 'Boelter planned his attack carefully,' Thompson said. 'He researched his victims and their families. He used the internet and other tools to find their addresses and names, the names of the family members. He conducted surveillance of their homes and took notes of the location of their homes.' After allegedly shooting the Hoffmans, Boelter went to the homes of at least three other Minnesota state politicians with the intent to kill them, Thompson said. The next two were not home, and prosecutors declined to identify them Monday. But Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were at their Brooklyn Park home when Boelter arrived around 3:30 a.m., authorities said. By that time, two local police officers were dispatched to conduct wellness checks on the homes of local officials, including the Hortmans. The officers arrived at the Hortmans' home just as Boelter was standing in front of it, officials said. Boelter rushed into their home through the front door and repeatedly opened fire, killing the couple, Thompson said. The suspect fled out the back door, dropping his mask and body armor on the way, Thompson said. He called the alleged crimes 'the stuff of nightmares.' After the attacks, Boelter allegedly texted his family: 'Dad went to war last night… I don't wanna implicate anybody,' according to an affidavit. In a message to his wife, Boelter apologized and appeared to warn her about an incoming police presence, the affidavit said. 'Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for the situation,' the text read. 'There's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around.' After a two-day manhunt, which was the state's biggest, the suspect was found crawling in a field Sunday night, authorities said. He cooperated with law enforcement officers and 'gave up peacefully,' authorities said. Boelter faces multiple federal charges, including two counts of stalking and two counts of murder. The murder charges are punishable by life in prison or death, officials said. Thompson said it's too soon to determine whether prosecutors will pursue the death penalty. At his federal court hearing Monday afternoon, Boelter said he understood what he is being charged with. Boelter told a judge he makes $540 a week through his part-time job and could not afford a lawyer. A judge said he would appoint a federal defender and scheduled the next hearing for June 27.
