Suspected killer of Minnesota lawmaker to face 1st degree murder charges
The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, allegedly disguised himself as a police officer, then shot and killed Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark at their home early Saturday.
"Our office intends to pursue first-degree murder charges against Mr. Boelter," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty told a press conference. "The penalty would be life without parole."
She thanked law enforcement personnel who mounted the largest manhunt in state history before apprehending him without using force late Sunday. "People were understandably terrified over the last couple days," she said.
Boelter is also suspected of shooting state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in their home. They survived despite multiple gunshot wounds and were being treated for serious injuries, authorities said.
Boelter was taken into custody in a rural area about an hour southwest of the Minneapolis suburbs where the killings occurred, police and state officials said.
SWAT teams used drones to identify the suspect's location, and officers crawled through ditches in the area's farm fields to confine him, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
He was being held at Hennepin County jail and was scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 pm (1830 GMT) on Monday, jail records showed.
Moriarty said Boelter was due to be handed over to federal officials and that federal charges were also expected.
- 'Politically motivated' -
A notebook containing the names of other lawmakers and potential targets was found inside a car left by Boelter at the Hortmans' home.
The attacks renewed fears of growing political violence in America.
"I am concerned about all our political leaders, political organizations," US Senator Amy Klobuchar, who represents Minnesota, said Sunday.
"It was politically motivated, and there clearly was some throughline with abortion because of the groups that were on the list, and other things that I've heard were in this manifesto. So that was one of his motivations."
As speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to January 2025, Hortman was committed to legislation that protected reproductive rights in the state, local media reported.
- 'Cannot be the norm' -
The United States is bitterly divided politically as President Donald Trump embarks on his second term, implementing hardline policies and routinely insulting his opponents. Political violence has become more common.
Trump himself survived an assassination attempt last year, with a second attempt foiled by law enforcement.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home was set on fire this year.
An assailant with a hammer attacked the husband of then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022.
"(This is) a moment in this country where we watch violence erupt," Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said after the arrest.
"This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences."
The shootings shook the nation on a day when hundreds of thousands of protesters across the United States took to the streets to rally against Trump, as he presided over a military parade in Washington.
Trump has condemned the attacks in Minnesota on the lawmakers and their spouses.
The president was asked in a Sunday interview with ABC News if he planned to call Walz, who was Kamala Harris's running mate in the election Trump won last year.
"Well, it's a terrible thing. I think he's a terrible governor. I think he's a grossly incompetent person," Trump said.
"But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too."
bur/ksb/dw
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
32 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
After a calm night, LA mayor shortens downtown curfew hours imposed after violent protests
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a calm night in downtown Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass on Monday slightly trimmed the hours of a curfew imposed last week after days of violent protests and looting that followed President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Bass' announcement that the nightly curfew would be narrowed — it will start at 10 p.m. Monday, rather than at 8 p.m., and extend until 6 a.m. Tuesday — followed the disclosure that there were no arrests by police in the area on Sunday. The mayor's office said the slightly trimmed curfew time reflects a marked reduction in violence, vandalism and looting in downtown that followed the protests. When the curfew was imposed on June 10, officials said it was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble. At the time, Bass said the city "reached a tipping point' after 23 businesses were looted. In a statement Monday, Bass said 'the curfew, coupled with ongoing crime prevention efforts, have been largely successful in protecting stores, restaurants, businesses and residential communities from bad actors who do not care about the immigrant community.' Bass has given no indication when the curfew will end. The curfew covers a relatively tiny slice of the sprawling city — a 1-square-mile (2.5 square kilometer) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred. Last week, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the second-largest U.S. city following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. On Sunday, Trump directed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities, a move that comes after large protests erupted in Los Angeles and other major cities against his administration's immigration policies.
New York Post
33 minutes ago
- New York Post
GOP rep calls for ‘around-the-clock' security for congressional lawmakers using public funds after Minnesota shootings
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) expressed deep concern Monday over 'growing threats' to congressional lawmakers in a letter asking for clarification over whether members can use their taxpayer-funded allowances to pay for personal security. Burchett's letter to the top Republican and Democrat on the House Committee on Administration – the panel which oversees the use of Members' Representational Allowances (MRAs) – comes days after a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were gunned down by an assassin targeting politicians. 'We are deeply concerned about growing threats to the safety of elected officials and request the Committee on House Administration to clarify that Members' Representational Allowances (MRAs) may be used for around-the-clock security services,' Burchett wrote in his letter, obtained by The Post. 3 Burchett asked whether taxpayer-provided funds can be used to pay for 24/7 security for congressional reps. AP The average MRA provided to House lawmakers last year was about $1.9 million per representative – money provided to support 'official conduct and representational duties.' The Tennessee Republican notes that under congressional rules, it appears lawmakers are only allowed to use MRA money on security expenses 'when those services are provided at official, member-hosted district events, during the performance of official duties, or at district offices during business hours.' Burchett called the current interpretation of the rules for MRAs 'inadequate' in light of the Saturday shootings targeting former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and state Sen. John Hoffman, along with their spouses, and the 2017 assassination attempt against Senate Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) at a Congressional Baseball practice. 'Had these lawmakers served in Congress, they would not have been allowed to use MRA funds for personal protection, despite being targeted,' Burchett said of the shooting that killed Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the separate assassination attempt against Hoffman, which left him and his wife badly wounded. 3 Burchett noted that the slain Minnesota state lawmaker could not have used MRA money, had she been in Congress, to secure her home. Getty Images 'The reality is, Members of Congress are publicly identifiable at all times,' Burchett continued. 'Our addresses are posted online and the threats are constant.' 'While we are grateful for the efforts of local law enforcement, the unique risks associated with serving in Congress require security beyond what is currently available.' The congressman called on the House panel to take 'all necessary steps to expand the permissible use of Members' Representational Allowances to include personal security, excluding campaign-related activity.' 3 The killing of Melissa Hortman and the serious wounding of another Minnesota state lawmaker sent shockwaves through Congress. Steven Garcia 'Protecting elected officials from political violence is critical for effective representation and a functioning government,' Burchett argued. The 'manifesto' of suspected Minnesota political assassin Vance Boelter contained the names of as many as 70 people — largely lawmakers and abortion advocates — he may have sought to target, according to authorities. The chilling list reportedly included Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.). Boelter, 57, was captured in a rural area outside Minneapolis Sunday night.
The Hill
40 minutes ago
- The Hill
What we know in the aftermath of the Minnesota shootings
Tremors spread though the political world on Monday after the weekend's fatal shooting of a Democratic lawmaker and her spouse in Minnesota, and another shooting, allegedly by the same perpetrator, that injured a second lawmaker and his wife. The suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, was apprehended late Sunday. He faces murder charges in state courts. On Monday, federal prosecutors also charged him with murder. Boelter is accused of killing Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, Mark, at their home in a Minneapolis suburb in the early hours of Saturday. Prosecutors allege that, shortly before, he had shot state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, at their home. The Hoffmans have undergone surgery and are expected to survive. Here's what we know so far. A major development Monday came with the unveiling of the federal charges against Boelter — and the details from prosecutors that accompanied those charges. Boelter has been charged with murder and with stalking. Federal prosecutors allege that the suspect had visited a total of four lawmakers' homes. In addition to the two where shootings took place, he is said to have visited an address where his target was not home, and to have left another address without opening fire, perhaps because of a police presence there. Prosecutors did not identify the lawmaker, but state Sen. Ann Rest (D) identified herself, saying that she had been told that Boelter had been close to her home during the hours in question. She thanked local police officers for having 'saved my life.' Authorities said other documentation appeared to show that Boelter had been planning the attacks for months. Boelter apparently had a list of targets, as well as copious other plans. Both of Minnesota's senators, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D) and Tina Smith (D), have confirmed that they were on the list. An unnamed law enforcement officer told the New York Times that Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) were also among the targets. Boelter's lists also extended beyond Minnesota. Abigail Leavins, a reporter for a website that covers politics in Wisconsin, said that Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) were also confirmed to be among the potential targets. Lawrence Andrea of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) was on the list, too. Multiple media outlets have reported that all the politicians allegedly targeted are Democrats. The list also appears to have included some addresses associated with reproductive rights, including abortion providers and Planned Parenthood clinics. Federal authorities have declined to identify a clear and specific political motive so far. But media interviews of Boelter's friends and acquaintances have formed a picture of a socially conservative, vigorously anti-abortion figure who, at least one friend said, supported President Trump in last year's election. In one clip available online, he delivers a sermon to an audience in Africa complaining that many American churches 'are so messed up they don't know abortion is wrong.' His roommate told reporters that Boelter was 'a Trump supporter' who 'would be offended if people called him a Democrat.' The tragedy of the killings was soon followed by a political firestorm. The instigator was Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who on Sunday tweeted a photo of the suspect with the caption, 'This is what happens when Marxists don't get their way.' A short time after, Lee sent another post with two photos of the suspect, including one in which he was wearing a mask, with the caption 'Nightmare on Waltz Street.' This was widely interpreted as a reference to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Vice President Harris's running mate in the 2024 election. Influencers within the online right have been floating a conspiracy theory about Walz and the shooter, based on the fact that Walz had reappointed Boelter to a state economic panel in 2019. Democrats and liberals reacted furiously. Klobuchar told MSNBC on Monday that she 'condemned' what Lee had done, and said she would 'speak to him about this' when they next met. 'What I'm going to tell him is: This isn't funny,' Klobuchar added. Smith, at the Capitol, told reporters she was also seeking out Lee for a conversation. The Hill's Al Weaver posted a photo of the two in conversation soon afterward. Weaver also reported that Smith told reporters she wanted Lee to hear from her directly 'about how painful that was and how brutal that was to see that on what was just a horrible, brutal weekend.' Caroline Gleich, who was the Democratic nominee in last year's Senate race in Utah — ultimately losing to Lee's colleague Sen. John Curtis (R) — told The Hill in a video interview that Lee's tweets were 'absolutely despicable.' Lee has not deleted the tweets. His office did not respond to an invitation to comment. The hours since the shooting have seen significant misinformation. The Minnesota Star Tribune was among the news outlets trying to push the tide of confusion back. It noted that many members on the state board on which Boelter once served 'were not politically connected [nor] would have meaningful access to the governor.' Board members are purportedly appointed because of their insights into particular industries or areas of knowledge, not because they reflect a governor's ideology. A source in Walz's office also told the Star Tribune the governor did not know Boelter. The news organization also noted that, contrary to online speculation, Boelter's wife had never served as an intern for Walz. There appears to have been some confusion over another person with the same name, married to someone else. But at times, careful reporting seems little match for the tsunami of often-erroneous social media speculation. Reams have been written about the growing polarization of American politics over the past couple of decades. But there is a lot of evidence that the nation's political gulf just keeps getting wider and more bitter. The shootings in Minnesota are sure to produce more questions about where this will all lead. Trump himself was almost killed last July during a rally in Pennsylvania. A California man in April pleaded guilty to trying to kill conservative Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Several men were convicted in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in 2020. With no end in sight to the enmity in the political system, attention is turning to increasing security for lawmakers and others in public life. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) — along with the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) — wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday asking to increase the amount of money available to lawmakers to bolster security.
