Federal grand jury indicts suspect accused of targeting Minnesota lawmakers in deadly shooting spree

Fox News

4 days ago

A federal grand jury has formally indicted Vance Boelter on six federal charges for the shootings that left one Minnesota lawmaker and her husband dead and a second lawmaker and his wife injured.
"Vance Boelter planned and carried out a night of terror that shook Minnesota to its core," acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said in a statement. "He carried out targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota."
Boelter, 57, has been charged with stalking and murdering former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home in Minneapolis last month. He also is charged with stalking and shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, and for attempting to shoot their daughter, Hope, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota.
Boelter, who allegedly conducted extensive research prior to the attacks, could potentially face life in prison or the death penalty.
Authorities allege Boelter impersonated a member of law enforcement on June 14 and then went to the homes of the Democratic elected officials with the intention of murdering them.
Boelter first went to the home of the Hoffmans in Champlin, Minnesota, where he allegedly shot Senator Hoffman and his wife repeatedly. Prosecutors say he also attempted to shoot their daughter, Hope, according to the news release.
After that, he allegedly drove to the homes of two other elected officials but discovered no one was home. Boelter then allegedly went to the home of Melissa Hortman and her husband, where he is accused of repeatedly shooting and killing them. The shootings sparked a two-day manhunt, ending with Boelter's capture in nearby Sibley County.
"I feel relief today in knowing that the perpetrator of these heinous acts will be charged to the fullest extent of the law," Hope Hoffman said in a statement. "Though I was not shot physically, I will now forever coexist with the PTSD of watching my parents be nearly shot dead in front of me and seeing my life flash before my eyes with a gun in my face."
The indictment comes shortly after Boelter spoke out about the alleged killings in a jailhouse interview, looking to eliminate certain theories surrounding the motivations behind the attacks.
"You are fishing and I can't talk about my case," Vance Boelter wrote to the New York Post from the Sherburne County Jail last week. "I'll say it didn't involve either the Trump stuff or pro-life."
"I am pro-life personaly [sic] but it wasn't those," he reportedly said in a message sent from the jail's internal messaging system. "I will just say there is a lot of information that will come out in future that people will look at and judge for themselves that goes back 24 months before the 14th. If the gov ever let's [sic] it get out."
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.