Alleged gunman went to homes of two other intended targets, police say
The man accused of killing a politician and wounding another went to the homes of two other lawmakers to carry out more carnage on the night of the shootings, a federal prosecutor said.
But one of the other politicians was not home and the suspect left the other house after police arrived, acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson said at a press conference on Monday.
The suspect, Vance Boelter, surrendered to police on Sunday after they found him in the woods near his home following a massive manhunt that began early on Saturday near Minneapolis.
He 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 senator John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. They were injured at their residence about nine miles away.
The 57-year-old Boelter was charged with federal murder and stalking offenses. He already faces state charges, including murder and attempted murder.
'Boelter planned his attack carefully' by researching his intended victims and their families and conducting surveillance of their homes and taking notes, Mr Thompson said.
Though the targets were Democrats and elected officials, Mr Thompson said it was too soon to speculate on any sort of political ideology that could explain his motives.
Mr Thompson said it was too early to say if the Justice Department would seek the death penalty but noted that that was among the options available to the government based on the charges.
The counts charged in the criminal complaint could be amended by prosecutors as they pursue a grand jury indictment as a prerequisite for bringing the case to trial.
Authorities declined to name the two other elected officials whom Boelter allegedly stalked but who escaped harm. But it was clear the shootings were politically motivated, they said.
'This was a targeted attack against individuals who answered the call to public service,' said Alvin Winston, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Minneapolis field office.
The resulting search, he said, was the largest manhunt in the history of Minnesota.
Boelter's wife consented to a search of her phone by law enforcement, according to an FBI affidavit that cites from a text from Boelter to a family group chat: 'Dad went to war last night … I don't wanna say more because I don't wanna implicate anybody.'
Earlier, the search for Boelter was the 'largest manhunt in the state's history,' Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
27 minutes ago
- The Hill
Tina Smith confronts Mike Lee over posts about fatal shooting of Minnesota lawmaker
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) on Monday confronted Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) over of series of comments he made blaming Democrats for the fatal shooting of a Minnesota state lawmaker. Shortly after the Senate began its Monday evening vote, Smith was seen walking into a conference room where Republicans were about to hold a meeting to discuss the text the Finance Committee had just unveiled for the party's massive tax bill. She emerged a minute later talking to Lee in an adjacent hallway. The two spoke for a couple of minutes before the Minnesota Democrat emerged. Andddd she found him 'Let me gather myself,' Smith said as she left, declining to comment initially. She eventually told told reporters that Lee 'seemed a little surprised to be confronted.' Lee angered Democrats of all stripes when he pinned blame on their side of the aisle after Melissa Hortman, the Democratic former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and her husband were killed over the weekend at their home. The same man is suspected of shooting a second state lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman (D), and his wife at their home. 'This is what happens When Marxists don't get their way,' Lee wrote on Sunday on his personal X account. Shortly after, he commented, 'Nightmare on Waltz Street,' referring to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), alongside a photo of the suspected shooter. The two remarks were condemned by numerous Democrats. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called Lee's remarks 'beyond dangerous' and 'absolutely unacceptable.' Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a friend of the late legislator, had told MSNBC prior to returning to Washington that she also planned on talking to Lee and condemned his comments. 'What I'm going to tell him is: This isn't funny,' she said.
New York Post
28 minutes ago
- New York Post
Business as usual at NYC's seedy Roosevelt Avenue — despite illicit workers saying they're fearful of Trump's promised ICE crackdown: ‘I'm scared every day'
It was business as usual on crime-ridden Roosevelt Avenue Monday — despite ICE ramping up immigration enforcement raids and President Trump's promise of an even tougher crackdown on Democrat-run cities. A smattering of sex workers and knockoff goods-peddlers working the seedy stretch of Queens told The Post they were afraid of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement hitting the area, but not enough to keep them from plying their trades. 'I don't want to be here. I'm scared. I watch every minute to see if ICE shows up and I'm ready to run,' said Martina, a street walker who came to the US from Venezuela about two years ago. 'This has been every day. First I was scared of the police and now I'm scared of ICE. But what can I do? I have babies at home and I have no husband to provide for us,' she continued. 'If ICE takes me, I don't know what happens to them,' she said. 'I'm scared every day.' The thoroughfare has long been a center of migrant criminal activity. Locals earlier this year penned a letter to Trump border czar Tom Homan asking for federal assistance to deal with the rampant street crime they claimed was being spurred by homeless illegal immigrants. The street was also once a breeding ground for sex-trafficking being perpetrated by gangs like Tren de Aragua, according to law-enforcement sources. Advocates told The Post last year the vicious gang targeted women in city migrant shelters and forced them into sex work. 3 The smattering of street-walkers peppering Roosevelt Avenue in Queens is a far cry from its peak last year, but those who remain are living in fear of President Trump's promised ICE crackdown. NY Post Gov. Kathy Hochul sent in hundreds of state troopers last fall to take control of the area. The infamous 'Market of Sweethearts' — the blighted section of the avenue known for open-air drug markets and streetwalkers strolling its grubby sidewalks in broad daylight — appeared decidedly less shady Monday. But the handful of illicit goods purveyors that remained did so reluctantly, and in spite of the potential risks. Two blocks east, a street vendor hawking imitation designer sunglasses, pocketbooks, toys and other tchotchkes echoed Martina's fears, but shared her sense of having no other options. 'I know I take a risk but I don't have any choice,' said the merchant, who declined to give his name. 'I have problems with my health and can't do physical labor. There aren't so many people selling things on the Roosevelt because they are scared,' he said. 3 Gov. Kathy Hochul dispatched some 200 state troopers to assist the NYPD in efforts to crack down on the wanton street crime on the infamous thoroughfare. Trump, on Truth Social Sunday, announced plans to bring sweeping changes to big US cities known as hotbeds for unchecked illegal immigration — primarily Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. He vowed to unleash ICE agents to carry out 'the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.' On Truth Social Sunday, Trump — unleashing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents 'In order to achieve this, we must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America's largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside,' Trump wrote. 3 Those who spoke to The Post said they were only continuing to ply their illicit trades out of desperation and necessity. NY Post 'These Radical Left Democrats are sick of mind, hate our Country, and actually want to destroy our Inner Cities — And they are doing a good job of it!' he claimed. It's not clear how his announced crackdown will affect the Big Apple, where ICE has already been ramping up arrests of illegal immigrants by rounding up people showing up to federal immigration court hearings in Lower Manhattan. Asked about Trump's vow to flood the city with ICE, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday that NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and City Hall 'will be communicating with the federal government and find out exactly what initiatives are going to take place.' He emphasized that local authorities would only work with ICE on criminal manners, not civil immigration enforcement. 'We will dig into to exactly what the next steps are, but I can't be clearer, the federal government is in charge of immigration enforcement. They are in charge of that. We are not gonna collaborate with civil enforcement and we're going to encourage people to not live in fear and go on with their lives,' Adams said. — Additional reporting by Kevin Sheehan
32 minutes ago
Minnesota lawmakers assassination timeline: 'He stalked his victims like prey'
It allegedly took months of planning, but the suspect in the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, and the attempted murder of a second state elected politician, unfolded over a roughly 90-minute time span that was foiled by police before more victims could be targeted, officials said. The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, was arrested late Sunday night near his farm in Green Isle, Minnesota, where a neighbor spotted him on a trail camera and called 911. Boelter disguised himself as a law enforcement officer, even driving an unmarked black SUV fitted with police emergency lights, to allegedly carry out deadly rampage that occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday in the suburbs of Minneapolis and prompted the "largest manhunt in Minnesota history," acting Minnesota U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said on Monday. "It is no exaggeration that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares," Thompson said at a news conference. "Boelter stalked his victims like prey. He went to their homes disguised as a police officer and shot them in cold blood." Here is a timeline that Thompson detailed of how the attacks that have sent shockwaves across Minnesota and the nation occurred. June 14, around 2 a.m. Boelter, allegedly dressed in a dark police uniform and wearing a hyperrealistic silicone mask, arrives at the home of state Sen. John Hoffman in Champlin. He parks a fake SUV police cruiser, fitted with police lights and a license plate reading "POLICE." Security video shows the masked Boelter allegedly walking up to the front door holding a flashlight and a 9mm Beretta handgun. The suspect knocks on Hoffman's front door, repeatedly shouting, "This is the police. Open the door." Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, open the door, and Boelter allegedly shines his flashlight in their faces, and says a shooting had been reported in the couple's house and he asks if they have any weapons. When the suspect lowers his flashlight, Hoffman and his wife realize the man standing before them is not a police officer and yell out, "You're not a cop, you're not a police officer." Boelter allegedly responds, "This is a robbery" and forces his way into the home. When Sen. Hoffman attempts to push the gunman out of the house, he is shot repeatedly. The gunman then shoots Yvette Hoffman repeatedly, flees back to his vehicle and drives away. June 14, at 2:05 a.m. Sen. Hoffman's young daughter calls 911 at 2:05 a.m. reporting that her parents had been shot. Police officers respond to the home and find Hoffman and his wife suffering from gunshot wounds. They are taken to a hospital and both undergo surgery. June 14, at 2:24 a.m. Boelter allegedly drives to Maple Grove, Minnesota, about nine miles from Champlin, to the home of a Minnesota state representitive, whose name authorities have not disclosed. The suspect is recorded on security video ringing the doorbell at 2:24 a.m. Still wearing a mask and dressed as a police officer, Boelter is seen in the video holding a handgun and flashlight. The state representative is gone on a family vacation, according to Thompson. Finding no one home, Boelter leaves. June 14, 2:36 a.m. Hearing of the shooting at Sen. Hoffman's home in Champlin, New Hope, Minnesota, police dispatch an officer to the home of a state senator in the community about five miles from Maple Grove. Upon arrival, a police officer sees the suspect's black SUV parked down the block with its emergency lights on. The New Hope officer believes it's another officer sent to the senator's home to do a welfare check, according to Thompson. The New Hope officer drives up alongside the suspect's vehicle, rolls down her window and attempts to speak to the person she believes is an officer inside. But the person sitting in the vehicle doesn't respond and stares straight ahead, according to Thompson. The New Hope officer continues to the state senator's home and waits for other officers to arrive. By the time backup officers get there, the suspect has driven away. Minnesota State Sen. Ann Rest later publicly confirms that it was her home that the suspect was parked near. "I am so grateful for the heroic work of the New Hope Police Department and its officers. Their quick action saved my life," Rest says in a statement. June 14, at 3:30 a.m. Boelter allegedly arrives at the home of state Rep. Melissa Horton in Brooklyn Park, about 7 miles from New Hope. He parks in the driveway with his emergency lights flashing. Boelter allegedly walks up to the front door, still dressed as a police officer and wearing the silicone mask. Two Brooklyn Park police officers sent to Horton's home by their sergeant to do a welfare check, arrive at the house and sees the suspect standing several feet from the front door. When the Brooklyn Park officers get out of their car, Boelter allegedly draws his weapon and opens fire on them. As the officers return fire, the suspect fires through the front door and enters the home, fatally shooting Horton and her husband, Mark. Boelter allegedly runs out the back door. Police find the suspect's 9mm Beretta, body armor and mask ditched behind Horton's home. In Boelter's vehicle parked in the driveway, officers discover five more firearms, including assault-style rifles and a large quantity of ammunition. Also in the car is a notebook containing the names and addresses of more than 45 Minnesota state and federal elected officials, including information on Horton. Information on elected leaders from other states and abortion providers are also found in the notebook, as well as detailed notes from surveillance excursions the suspect allegedly conducted on potential targets, Thompson said. June 14, between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Police in Onamia, Minnesota, conduct a traffic stop on Boelter's wife. Officers find a weapon, ammunition, cash and passports in the vehicle. Police release Boelter's wife after questioning her and other occupants of the vehicle, sources tell ABC News affiliate station KSTP. No arrests are made. June 14, late afternoon Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, releases Boelter's name, saying he's a suspect in the shootings in Champlin and Brooklyn Park. He announces that a manhunt is underway and asks the public to report any sightings of the suspect to law enforcement immediately. June 15, 8:25 p.m.
