Minnesota ‘assassin' found with ‘hit-list' of 70 names & addresses including Squad member Ilhan Omar and Jeff Bezos' ex'
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THE man accused of fatally shooting a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband allegedly had a hit list with 70 names after being caught by police.
Vance Boelter, 57, is accused of shooting and killing Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband at their home on Saturday, along with injuring Senator John Hoffman and his wife in another shooting.
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Vance Boelter, 57, has been charged with killing a Minnesota representative and her husband in a shooting
Credit: AFP
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Investigators found several weapons and a manifesto in a fake police vehicle that Boelter allegedly used in the shootings that also injured a senator and his wife
Credit: Reuters
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Listed in the manifesto as a possible target was MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos
Credit: Getty
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US Representative Ilhan Omar, a member of 'the squad,' was also listed
Credit: Alamy
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Melissa Hortman with her husband, Mark, were killed in the shooting
Credit: Unpixs
During the search for the suspect, investigators found a fake police vehicle that Boelter allegedly used to pose as a police officer to carry out the shootings.
Inside the car, police found a cache of weapons, including at least three AK-47 assault rifles and a manifesto with the names and addresses of other public officials.
There were about 70 names in the manifesto, some of which were abortion rights advocates, said law enforcement officials.
Boelter was arrested near his home in Green Isle on Sunday night after a brief manhunt.
He has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, according to Hennepin County court records.
LIST OF DEATH
Named on the list were Senator Amy Klobuchar and "squad member" Rep. Ilhan Omar, reported The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Others include Congresswoman Kelly Morrison, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, and Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott.
Some doctors who worked for Planned Parenthood were on the list, as well as several abortion clinics, including one that is scheduled to open in Omaha, Nebraska.
Former congressman Dean Phillips claimed in an X post that he was on the list as well, writing, "I extend heartfelt gratitude to Minnesota's law enforcement professionals," after Boelter's arrest.
"Now, we must take steps to prevent political violence before it's too late."
Vance Boelter's car found as cops continue to hunt for 'fake cop' suspect who 'shot dead Melissa Hortman' in Minnesota
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans confirmed that investigators found the manifesto in a press briefing, saying the documents "gives some indications" on a possible motive.
"This is not a document that would be like a traditional manifesto that's a treatise on all kinds of ideology and writings, Evans said.
He called it a notebook "with a lot of lawmakers and others ... as opposed to a succinct document."
"I don't want the public to have the impression that there's this long manifesto that's providing all of this information and details and then associated with names," he added. "It's much more about names."
NIGHT OF TERROR
Boelter was named as a suspect on June 14 after shootings were reported at the homes of Hortman and Hoffman.
Hortman and her husband, Mark, were pronounced dead at their Brooklyn Park home.
Timeline of Minnesota's shooting
Vance Boelter has been arrested for the targeted shootings of Minnesota lawmakers Rep. Melissa Hortman and Sen. John Hoffman.
Below is a timeline of events:
Saturday, June 14
2 am - Cops receive a phone call about a shooting at Hoffman's house. Cops call nearby officers to proactively check Hortman's home because it's close by in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
3:35 am - Police arrive at Hortman's home and find a car that looks like a cop car in her driveway. Officers see the suspect, dressed as a cop and wearing a latex mask, leaving the Hortman's house. Cops exchange gunfire with the suspect, who runs back into the home and leaves out the back door on foot.
7:11 am — A shelter-in-place warning is issued for three miles around Brooklyn Park.
7:35 am - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz posts on social media that he's been briefed on the shootings.
9:30 am - Walz and cops give the first news conference on the shootings and confirm the Hormans' deaths. Minnesotans are asked not to attend rallies taking place across the state.
3 pm - Law enforcement officers identify Boelter as the suspect and release multiple pictures of him wearing a mask and dressed like a cop.
3:20 pm - Police lift shelter-in-place in Brooklyn Park.
4:45 pm - The FBI offers a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's arrest and conviction.
Sunday, June 15
10:50 am - Boelter's car is found near Minnesota Highway 25 and 301st Avenue in Sibley County. Residents in the area are asked to lock their doors and stay in place.
9:30 pm - Boelter is arrested in the woods near his home in Green Isle, Sibley County.
The couple's dog, Gilbert, was severely injured in the attack and had to be euthanized.
"Her children had to put him down after learning their parents had been murdered," former Minnesota House member Erin Koegel said on X of Hortman's children.
"Gilbert wasn't going to survive.
Hoffman and his wife Yvette had surgery after suffering multiple gunshot wounds at their residence in Champlin, about nine miles away from the Hortmans.
Officials said they are "cautiously optimistic" that the pair will survive what Governor Tim Walz called an "unspeakable tragedy" and a "politically motivated assassination."
The Hoffmans' nephew revealed that the couple had been shot 11 times during the horror attack.
He shared in a Facebook post how his aunt Yvette had thrown herself on top of her daughter to protect her.
Boelter is scheduled to appear in court on Monday for the charges against him and a federal warrant for "unlawful flight to avoid prosecution."
His other charges will soon be upgraded as the state "intends to pursue first-degree murder charges against Boelter," said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty at a news conference.
The Department of Justice is also deciding to throw federal charges against Boelter, which, if convicted, could result in the death penalty.
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Investigators say Boelter wore this realistic mask while posing as a police officer during the shootings
Credit: Reuters
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Boelter was arrested on Sunday night and has been charged with the murders
Credit: EPA
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar was also listed in the manifesto, along with several abortion doctors
Credit: AP
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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.
