Minnesota lawmaker shooting case: Suspect arrested after 2-day manhunt; police release photo
Following a massive two-day search, the man suspected of fatally shooting a Minnesota state lawmaker and wounding another was taken into custody on Sunday under a state criminal warrant, according to news agency Reuters, citing sources.
The suspect, identified as Vance Boelter (57) was arrested near his farm near Minnesota's Green Isle, ending a manhunt that authorities describe as the largest in the state's history.
Boelter has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, according to a Hennepin County criminal complaint. Minnesota officials said Boelter was armed when taken into custody and is currently being interviewed at a law enforcement facility.
The search began across Minnesota's Twin Cities region after Boelter allegedly killed Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in a string of politically motivated attacks.
Senator Hoffman, however, is out of his final surgery and is moving towards recovery.
The violence began around 2 am on Saturday, when authorities said the gunman shot the Hoffmans in their home before driving several miles to the Hortmans' residence in neighboring Brooklyn Park, where he opened fire again.
The suspect was dressed to resemble a police officer—wearing a blue shirt and pants, what appeared to be a protective vest, a badge, and carrying a Taser. Photos released by the FBI also showed him wearing a rubber mask and a uniform resembling that of law enforcement.
'This was an act of targeted political violence,' said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. 'Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.'
Investigators found a list in the suspect's car containing about 70 potential targets, according to a federal law enforcement official. The list included current and former politicians, doctors, community and business leaders, and locations of abortion providers. Lexi Byler, a spokesperson for US Senator Tina Smith, D-Minn., confirmed that Smith was among those named. Some targets were located in neighboring states.
Melissa Hortman, a lawyer by profession, served as a legislator for nearly 20 years and was Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives for six years, a term that ended earlier this year.
John A. Hoffman, a fourth-term state senator from Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb, chairs the Senate's Human Services Committee and is known for advocating 'collaboration across the aisle.'
(With inputs from Reuters)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
After Israeli bombings, Iran signals strategic shift on nuclear commitments; mulls Non-Proliferation Treaty exit
A man looks at flames rising from an oil storage facility after it appeared to have been struck by an Israeli strike in Tehran. (Pic credit: AP) As Israel continues to target nuclear sites in Iran, Tehran on Monday said that its parliamentarians are preparing a bill that will push it towards exiting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. According to a report by Reuters, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, "In light of recent developments, we will take an appropriate decision. Government has to enforce parliament bills, but such a proposal is just being prepared and we will coordinate in the later stages with parliament." Meanwhile, he also reiterated Tehran's official stance against developing nuclear weapons. Is Iran violating NPT? This comes amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran as both countries continue to launch waves of missiles at each other. The timing of this statement is also crucial, as Israel alleged that Iran is on the verge of building a nuclear bomb. However, Iran denied the allegations, asserting that its nuclear programme is peaceful. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian echoed that position on Monday, saying nuclear arms violate the country's core religious principles. But last week, the IAEA said that Iran violated its NPT obligations. Baghaei said the recent Israeli attacks and the IAEA resolution played a direct role in Tehran's strategic reassessment. "Those voting for the resolution prepared the ground for the attack," he said. The 1970 treaty restricts signatories from pursuing nuclear weapons in exchange for access to civilian nuclear technology and oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Proposal in initial stages According to Reuters' report, no decision on quitting the NPR has been made yet, but the proposal is in initial stages of legal process. Meanwhile, Baghaei criticised Israel's own nuclear stance, highlighting that the country is not a signatory to the NPT and is widely believed to possess an undeclared nuclear arsenal. "The Zionist regime is the only possessor of weapons of mass destruction in the region," he said.
NDTV
33 minutes ago
- NDTV
US Police Arrest Vance Boelter For Shooting Minnesota Lawmakers
Minneapolis: A massive two-day manhunt ended on Sunday with the arrest of Vance Boelter, 57, for allegedly killing a Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker and her husband while posing as a police officer, Governor Tim Walz said. Boelter allegedly shot dead Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, in their home on Saturday - a crime Governor Tim Walz characterized as a "politically motivated assassination." Authorities said Boelter also allegedly shot and wounded another Democratic lawmaker, state Senator John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette at their home a few miles away. "After a two-day manhunt, two sleepless nights, law enforcement have apprehended Vance Boelter," Walz told a news conference. "One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota. "A moment in this country where we watch violence erupt, this cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences. Now is the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country, and each and every one of us can do it." Walz said Hoffman, who had been hit with nine bullets, came out of his final surgery and was moving towards recovery. 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. Boelter was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, the criminal complaint showed. Three of those charges are punishable with jail terms of up to 40 years, according to the complaint unsealed on Sunday. Boelter had been impersonating a police officer while carrying out the shootings, wearing an officer's uniform and driving a Ford SUV with police-style lights, according to a Hennepin County criminal complaint unsealed on Sunday. Boelter fled on foot early on Saturday when officers confronted him at Hortman's Brooklyn Park home, said authorities who had warned residents to stay indoors for their own safety and unleashed the state's biggest manhunt. When police searched Boelter's SUV after the shootings they discovered three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9-mm handgun, and a list of other public officials including their addresses, the criminal complaint showed. Working on a tip that Boelter was near his home in the city of Green Isle, more than 20 SWAT teams combed the area, aided by surveillance aircraft, officials said. Boelter was armed but surrendered with no shots fired. "The suspect crawled to law enforcement teams and was placed under arrest," Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol told the briefing. "The suspect was taken into custody without any use of force." The operation to capture Boelter, drawing on the work of hundreds of detectives and a wide range of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, was the largest manhunt in state history, Brooklyn Park police Chief Mark Bruley said. "Now begins the hard work of looking at what the motive is," Bruley said. The killing was the latest episode of high-profile US political violence. Such incidents range from a 2022 attack on former Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband at their home, to an assassination bid on Donald Trump last year, and an arson attack at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's house in April.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
34 minutes ago
- First Post
FTA with EU by end of 2025, says PM Modi as bloc's next chair Cyprus vows ‘better ties'
Modi, on an official visit to the east Mediterranean island, said there were unlimited possibilities in expanding economic ties with Cyprus in a visit aimed at pushing forward India's global trade agenda read more India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides hold a joint press conference after their meeting at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus. Reuters India expects to finalise a free trade agreement with the European Union by the end of this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, while Cyprus, which assumes the EU presidency in 2026, said better ties would be its priority. Modi, on an official visit to the east Mediterranean island, said there were unlimited possibilities in expanding economic ties with Cyprus in a visit aimed at pushing forward India's global trade agenda. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We are working on finalising a mutually beneficial India-EU trade agreement by the end of this year,' Modi said in joint remarks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. India is pursuing a trade link by sea and rail known as the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, but the visit is being held in the shadow of an escalating crisis in the Middle East.'We agree the India - Middle East Europe Corridor will pave the way for peace and prosperity in the region,' Modi said. Cyprus, which has close relations with India through its shared membership of the Commonwealth, is offering facilities to be a first point of entry to Europe and a transhipment hub, Christodoulides said. 'A strengthening of EU-India relations will be among the priorities of the Cypriot EU presidency,' Christodoulides said. Cyprus assumes the rotating six-month presidency of the bloc in early 2026.
