Suspected killer of Minnesota Democratic lawmaker arrested after two-day manhunt

France 24

9 hours ago

The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another has been taken into custody, bringing an end to a massive, nearly two-day search that put the entire state on edge.
Vance Boelter was arrested Sunday evening. Former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin home, about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away.
'One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota," Gov. Tim Walz said at a news conference.
Boelter was arrested in a rural area in Sibley County, southwest of Minneapolis.
'Where he was ultimately taken into custody was in a field,' said Drew Evans, superintendent of Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
He said authorities believe Boelter acted alone.
A criminal complaint unsealed Sunday night says Boelter, 57, faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in the deaths of the Hortmans and the wounding of Hoffman and his wife.
The Hoffmans were attacked first at their home in Champin early Saturday. After police in nearby Brooklyn Park learned of that shooting, 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, the complaint says. It says they exchanged gunfire with Boelter, who fled inside the home before escaping the scene.
The complaint indicates the shooting at the Hoffmans' home was called in by their adult daughter.
Mark Bruley, Brooklyn Park Police Chief, said the search for the suspect involved 20 different SWAT teams.
"There's no question that this is the largest manhunt in the state's history,' he said.
Earlier Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said authorities found a car very early Sunday they believed Boelter was using, a few miles from his home in Green Isle, in the farm country about an hour west of Minneapolis. He also said they found evidence in the car that was relevant to the investigation, but did not provide details.
Authorities named Boelter as a suspect, saying he wore a mask as he posed as a police officer, even allegedly altering a vehicle to make it look like a police car.
Evens confirmed that investigators found a cowboy hat near the vehicle and believe it belonged to Boelter. The superintendent also said authorities interviewed Boelter's wife and other family members in connection with Saturday's shootings. He said they were cooperative and were not in custody.
More than 100 law enforcement officers including SWAT teams searched the area, including nearby homes, Evans said.
The earlier search happened in rural Sibley County, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis, where Boelter had a home with his wife and five children. Residents in the area received an emergency alert about the located vehicle that warned them to lock their doors and cars.
The shootings come as political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated amid deep political divisions. Lawmakers said they were disturbed by the attacks as Twin Cities residents mourned.
Brightly colored flowers and small American flags were placed Sunday on the gray marbled stone of the Minnesota State Capitol along with a photo of the Hortmans. People scrawled messages on small notes including, 'You were our leader through the hardest of times. Rest in Power.'
Pam Stein came with flowers and kneeled by the memorial. An emotional Stein called Hortman an 'absolute powerhouse' and 'the real unsung hero of Minnesota government.'
Authorities have not yet given details on a motive.
A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from the fake police vehicle that was left at the crime scene, the officials said. The writings and list of names included prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates and information about healthcare facilities, according to the officials.
Evans clarified that while he described the materials on Saturday as a 'manifesto,' the papers were not a political or ideological treatise. He said it was more of a notebook, listing lawmakers and other people, with various thoughts mixed in. He declined to give details.
A Minnesota official told AP lawmakers who had been outspoken in favor of abortion rights were on the list. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
The attacks prompted warnings to other state elected officials and the cancellation of planned 'No Kings' demonstrations against President Donald Trump, though some went ahead anyway, including one that drew tens of thousands to the State Capitol in St. Paul. Authorities said the suspect had 'No Kings' flyers in his car.
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.
Around 6 a.m. Saturday, 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 AP.
On Sunday evening, US Sen. Amy Klobuchar shared a statement from Yvette Hoffman expressing appreciation for the outpouring of public support.
'John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods,' Yvette Hoffman said in a text that Klobuchar posted on social media. 'He took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive. We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark.'
On social media, Gov. Tim Walz remembered Hortman on Sunday as, 'The most consequential Speaker in state history.'
Hortman, 55, had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since 2017. She led Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year's session in a power struggle with Republicans. Under a power-sharing agreement, she turned the gavel over to Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth and assumed the title speaker emerita.
Hortman used her position as speaker in 2023 to champion expanded protections for abortion rights, including legislation to solidify Minnesota's status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions — and to protect providers who serve them.
The couple had an adult son and an adult daughter.
Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and was chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He and his wife have one adult daughter.