Minnesota Assassin Alert Issued in South Dakota as Manhunt Expands
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, said on during an interview on Sunday that authorities believe Vance Boelter, the suspect in the assassination of Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, is still in the Midwest.
The senator said that authorities have put out an alert in South Dakota before adding that authorities believe Boelter may still be "in the vicinity," which means "in the Midwest."
Newsweek reached out to the offices of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers for comment outside of normal business hours on Sunday for comment.
Why It Matters
An assassin shot and killed Hortman and her husband, Mark, early Saturday morning after posing as law enforcement to gain access to their home. The shooter had earlier that morning shot state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their home, but the couple underwent surgery and are in stable condition at the hospital.
Walz called the shooting "a politically motivated assassination," and has enacted a significant manhunt across the state to try and catch Boelter whom authorities identified as a person of interest in the case.
Boelter was last seen on security camera footage in a store in Minneapolis, wearing different clothing including a cowboy hat.
Police found a list of possible targets in the suspect's vehicle, which named more than 50 individuals, including other politicians, some of whom are outside of Minnesota, abortion rights advocates, and abortion facilities.
Police and law enforcement investigate the home of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, who were shot multiple times earlier in Champlin, Minnesota, on June 14.
Police and law enforcement investigate the home of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, who were shot multiple times earlier in Champlin, Minnesota, on June 14.
AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto
What To Know
During an appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press, Klobuchardiscussed what updates have occurred on Sunday as the manhunt for Boelter continues, including the current scope of the investigation and Boelter's potential whereabouts.
When asked if authorities believe Boelter may still be in Minnesota, Klobuchar said: "He may be. They've also put an alert out in South Dakota. You know, when I mean vicinity, I mean in the Midwest."
"For a while they believed that he was in one certain area, and he may have been there for a while," the senator added. "So, they had thousands of homes in a shelter in place situation. Now they are continuing to look. And so, the FBI is asking for the public's help with a $50,000 award."
Klobuchar noted the various changes in attire Boelter went through over just the first day of his flight, including his initial police-esque attire, which included what looked like some kind of rubber mask, and a later photo taken in Minneapolis, during which he wore a cowboy hat and plainclothes.
This image provided by the FBI on Saturday, June 14, 2025, shows part of a poster with photos of Vance L. Boelter.
This image provided by the FBI on Saturday, June 14, 2025, shows part of a poster with photos of Vance L. Boelter.
FBI via AP
"They are looking for him everywhere," Klobuchar said. "He is smart. He was able to impostor a police officer, soup up a car so it seemed like a police car. I know law enforcement has been very clear about this, that people should not approach him, that they should immediately call the tip lines and report. Because we believe he's somewhere in the vicinity and that they are going to find him, but right now everyone is on edge here."
She added: "We also know that he is clearly off-balance, from the manifesto on, some of his writings, some of the things that he has said recently, that he is someone that no one should mess with except for law enforcement."
Klobuchar added to Walz's assertion that the killings are "politically motivated," and praised the unified response from the Minnesota delegation, which included Republicans and Democrats jointly condemning the attack.
"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," Klobuchar said.
She continued: "But again, they're also checking out, did he have interaction somehow with these two legislators? Is there more to this? And I think for us right now, allowing law enforcement to do their jobs instead of speculating on every angle of where he might have gone. They obviously have information we don't have."
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social: "I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers. Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!"
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on X: "The Attorney General's Office will do whatever it can to assist law enforcement in their investigation. My heart goes out to Melissa's and Mark's two children and their families."
He added: "I'm also praying for Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette and wish them a full and speedy recovery. And I hope Minnesotans can offer grace, care, and kindness to each other in the days ahead."
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in a statement on X wrote: "We are not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint. We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree, that our state is strengthened by civil public debate. We must stand united against all forms of violence - And I call on everyone to join me in that commitment. To the responding officers, thank you for your bravery and your swift action. A State Bureau of criminal apprehension investigation is underway, and we will spare no resource in bringing those responsible to justice. Will not let fear win."
What Happens Next?
Anyone who sees any suspicious activity, "especially involving individuals impersonating law enforcement, please report it immediately," Bob Jacobson, Minnesota's commissioner of public safety, said during Saturday's press conference.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) announced on Saturday they are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Boelter.
"Anyone with information about these shootings or Boelter's location should call the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) tip line at 877-996-6222 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us. The public is asked to call 911 immediately if they see Boelter. Do not approach him."
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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
What we know about the Minnesota shooting suspect
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Here's what we know about the suspect. Advertisement Does he have a connection to the victims? Boelter had served on a state economic board with one of the victims, state Senator John Hoffman, who survived the shooting, though it is unclear if they actually knew each other. Boelter was appointed to the panel, the Minnesota Governor's Workforce Development Board, in 2016 by a Democratic former governor, Mark Dayton. The board has 41 members appointed by the governor, and its members try to improve business development in the state. He was later reappointed by Gov. Tim Walz, also a Democrat. Boelter and Hoffman attended a virtual meeting together in 2022 for a discussion about the job market in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, minutes from the meeting show, though officials said they did not know if the two had any kind of relationship. Advertisement Current and former members of the board said that there were a handful of meetings each year and that there was often no direct interaction with the governor. One said the governor had not attended any of the group's meetings in her four years on the board. They said it would be easy for two members not to know each other. What are his political affiliations? Walz has said that the shooting 'appears to be a politically motivated assassination,' though the exact motive for the attack is not yet clear. Voters do not declare political affiliation when they register in Minnesota, and a state report connected to the workforce board listed Boelter's affiliation as 'none or other' in 2016. A similar report in 2020 listed him as having 'no party preference.' But David Carlson, a roommate and close friend of Boelter's, said Boelter voted for Donald Trump last year and was particularly passionate about opposing abortion. Carlson said he had known Boelter since fourth grade. He said that he knew that Boelter owned guns but that he had never heard him speak about either of the two lawmakers who were shot. Recently, he said, Boelter had been experiencing financial and mental health challenges. He 'just gave up on life for some reason,' he said. Carlson read aloud a text message from Boelter that he received Saturday morning in which Boelter wrote that he might 'be dead shortly.' The message did not describe any details of the attacks, Carlson said. It went on: 'I don't want to say anything more and implicate you in any way because you guys don't know anything about this. But I love you guys and I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused.' Advertisement Carlson said that Friday, Boelter gave him four months' worth of advance rent payments -- about $220 a month -- for a small room in the shared house. Boelter also thanked his roommates for their friendship and then said that he needed some rest, Carlson said, so he left him alone. Boelter's lack of a party affiliation on public documents does not necessarily mean that he is not interested in the country's political affairs. In November 2018, Boelter urged his followers on LinkedIn to vote in that year's election, saying he had been to countries where people could not elect their leaders and that they were 'not places that anyone of us would want to live in.' 'I think the election is going to have more of an impact on the direction of our country than probably any election we have been apart of, or will be apart of for years to come,' he wrote. The lawmaker who was killed Saturday, state Rep. Melissa Hortman, ran successfully for reelection that year. He worked in the funeral industry and preached in central Africa Boelter's professional history is varied. In one video he posted online, seemingly for an educational course, Boelter said he worked six days a week for two funeral service companies in the Minneapolis area. At one of the companies, he said, he sometimes helped to remove bodies from crime scenes and would work with police officers and death investigators. A spokesperson for Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa said Boelter took classes in the school's mortuary science program, which is primarily an online program, in 2023 and 2024. Advertisement State reports and his LinkedIn profile indicate that he had also been the general manager of a 7-Eleven in Minneapolis and, before that, general manager of a gas station in St. Paul. A report in 2017 listed him as an executive at an energy company. More recently, he said on LinkedIn that he was CEO of a company called Red Lion Group, which is in Congo and whose website lists a vague mission of creating 'good jobs for local people.' Boelter has delivered several sermons at a church in that country. In the sermons, which were posted online, he said he gave his life to Jesus as a teenager and had been blessed with five children. In one, he said he had been friends with David Emerson, a missionary who was murdered in Zimbabwe in 1987 along with 10 others. In another sermon, he appeared to criticize gay and transgender people. 'There's people, especially in America, they don't know what sex they are,' he said. 'They don't know their sexual orientation, they're confused. The enemy has gotten so far into their mind and their soul.' Boelter and his wife, Jenny, were listed on a website as running a private security company, though it was not clear whether it had any clients. The company, Praetorian Guard Security Services, lists Boelter as the director of security patrols and his wife as president. Jenny Boelter was stopped Saturday morning by police officers near a convenience store in Onamia, Minnesota, roughly 70 miles north of the area of the shootings, according to Sheriff Kyle Burton of Mille Lacs County. The sheriff said other relatives were in the car, and a witness said he saw three children get out of the car during the stop. All were cooperative, and none was taken into custody, officials said. Advertisement The firm's website describes using Ford Explorer SUVs, 'the same make and model of vehicles that many police departments use.' On Saturday afternoon, police towed a Ford Explorer from outside Hortman's home. The website for Boelter's security company makes expansive claims about his work experience that could not immediately be verified, including that he had been 'involved with security situations' in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Federal tax forms show that Boelter and his wife once led a Christian nonprofit called Revoformation Ministries. An archived version of the group's website described Boelter as becoming an ordained minister in 1993. Boelter, the site said, had traveled to violent areas and had 'sought out militant Islamists in order to share the Gospel and tell them that violence wasn't the answer.' Boelter made similar claims during one of his sermons in Congo, saying he had been confronted by armed militants while distributing pamphlets in places like the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon. How was the attack carried out? Authorities say the assassin disguised himself as a police officer -- wearing a ballistic vest, gloves and a mask -- before going to the lawmakers' homes in two Minneapolis suburbs early Saturday. After police responded to Hoffman's home, finding that he and his wife, Yvette, had both been shot, they decided to check on Hortman at home. There, they encountered the assailant, who they said fled on foot after an exchange of gunfire with officers around 3:30 a.m. Inside, police found Hortman and her husband, Mark, dead. Advertisement U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., said in an interview that the gunman had a notebook with a list of names that included hers and those of other lawmakers, all of whom were Democrats. The list included about 70 potential targets, a federal law enforcement official said, including doctors, community and business leaders, and locations for Planned Parenthood and other health care centers. Some of the targets were in neighboring states. A search led police Sunday afternoon to Sibley County, a rural community southwest of Minneapolis, where they found what they believed was Boelter's vehicle near Green Isle -- roughly 10 minutes from his listed address. Officials said late Sunday that Boelter had been taken into custody. This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers caught, AP sources says
BELLE PLAINE, Minn. (AP) — The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another has been taken into custody, two law enforcement officials said, bringing an end to a nearly two-day search that put the state on edge. Vance Boelter was arrested Sunday evening. The arrest was confirmed to The Associated Press by law enforcement officials were who were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. 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. Boelter was captured in Minnesota, though officials didn't immediately say where. A criminal complaint unsealed Sunday night says Boelter 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. A massive search 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, 57, 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. The FBI had issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. More than 100 law enforcement officers including SWAT teams were searching the area, including nearby homes, Evans said. He also said they had received more than 400 tips from the public. 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.' No details on motive 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 apologize 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. … I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused," he wrote in messages viewed by AP. Two Democrats targeted On Sunday evening, U.S. 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. ___ Karnowski reported from Minneapolis, and Balsamo and Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michael Biesecker in Washington; Jim Mustian in New York; Sophia Tareen in Chicago and Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, N.C., contributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man suspected of shooting two Minnesota Democratic state lawmakers has been caught, US reports say
A man suspected of killing a lawmaker in Minnesota and wounding another was taken into custody Sunday evening, police officials said. This concludes the nearly two-day manhunt that put the midwestern state on edge. Law enforcement officers confirmed the arrest to Associated Press on the condition of annonymity. Meanwhile American news channel ABC News reported the same, citing several sources. The channel further said the man was arrested near his farm near Green Isle, Minnesota. A man, posing as a police officer, shot and killed former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. Police say this was the same person who shot and injured Senator John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife at their home nine miles away. More to follow...
