What to know about the shootings of 2 Minnesota lawmakers and the arrest of Vance Boelter

Washington Post

5 hours ago

The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another is now charged with murder after police arrested him Sunday near his home following a nearly two-day search.
Vance Boelter is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.
Authorities say he also shot Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, at their home in a nearby neighborhood.
Here's what to know about the shootings and the suspect:
Authorities on Sunday spotted an abandoned vehicle that the 57-year-old Boelter had been using in rural Sibley County, where he lived. An officer reported he believed he saw Boelter running into the woods, police said. Police called in 20 different tactical teams to search for him.
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 surrendered to police, crawling out to officers in the woods before he was handcuffed, authorities said.
The search for Boelter was the 'largest manhunt in the state's history,' Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said.
Friends and former colleagues interviewed by the AP describe Boelter as a devout Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign rallies for President Donald Trump.
He held deeply religious and politically conservative views, telling a congregation in Africa two years ago that the U.S. was in a 'bad place' where most churches didn't oppose abortion.
His friends also say that he didn't talk about politics often and didn't seem extreme.
The Hoffmans were attacked first at their home in Champlin early Saturday. A criminal complaint 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 lawmaker 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, the complaint says. It says they exchanged gunfire with Boelter, who fled inside the home before escaping the scene. Melissa Hortman was found dead inside, the complaint said.
Authorities did not give a motive as they announced Boelter's arrest.
A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from a fake police vehicle left at the crime scene, said two law enforcement officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation. The writings and list of names included prominent state and federal lawmakers 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 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.
Melissa Hortman was a lifelong Minneapolis-area resident who rose up to become a powerful Democratic leader in the state's deeply divided Legislature.
Elected to the Minnesota House in 2004, she helped pass liberal initiatives like free lunches for public school students in 2023 as the chamber's speaker. This year, she helped break a budget impasse that threatened to shut down state government.
State Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, who were shot at their home in Champlin, a Minneapolis suburb, were recovering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Hoffman is chair of the Senate committee overseeing human resources spending.
He also served on a state workforce development board with Boelter, who was twice appointed to the board. It was not clear if or how well they knew each other.