Oakland County sheriff urging vigilance after shootings of 2 Minnesota lawmakers
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard is urging lawmakers to be "vigilant and aware of their surroundings" following the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers on Saturday.
Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were injured in what Gov. Tim Walz has called a "politically motivated" incident.
Officials have identified the suspect in the shootings as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter. The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a photo Saturday afternoon that appears to show Boelter standing outside of one of the lawmakers' homes, wearing a mask and dressed like a police officer.
The FBI released this image taken from home security video showing Vance L. Boelter, the suspect in the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers on June 14, 2025.
FBI
Bouchard said in a written statement on Saturday that he had spoken with multiple legislators and warned them to stay vigilant "in the event there are other evil and violent, copycat individuals who might want to harm elected officials."
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said on Saturday that her department was not aware of any danger to the state in connection with the shootings.
As of Sunday afternoon, federal and state officials are looking for Boelter. The FBI says it's offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What we know about the Minnesota shooting suspect
The man accused of shooting Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota on Saturday while impersonating a police officer worked for a security company that advertised a fleet of 'police type vehicles,' and other equipment that could potentially have aided him in appearing to be law enforcement. Vance Boelter was also an outspoken evangelical Christian who traveled to Africa to tell his faith story and, in at least one sermon, pointedly questioned American morals on sexual orientation, according to videos and social media posts reviewed by CNN. Boelter was a conservative who was strongly against abortion rights, a longtime friend told CNN on Saturday. But Boelter never mentioned any particular anger with the lawmakers who were shot, said David Carlson. 'It wasn't the thing that defined him,' he said of his religious and political beliefs. Carlson added, 'He wasn't a hateful person. But he needed help.' Boelter, 57, was arrested Sunday night in the city of Green Isle, Minnesota, where he lived, according to authorities. He's accused of killing one lawmaker and her husband and wounding another and his wife early Saturday. Officials said he left behind an apparent hit list with dozens of names in his car after exchanging fire with police outside the home of one victim and fleeing the scene. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said the attack 'appears to be a politically motivated assassination.' State officials said authorities early on Saturday encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle with emergency flashing lights in the driveway of Rep. Melissa Hortman's home. Officers at the home 'saw (Boelter)…dressed as a police officer, shoot an adult man' through the open front door, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune. The suspect 'exchanged gunfire' with police and ran into the house, ultimately disappearing from the area, according to the complaint. Hortman – the top Democrat in the Minnesota House – and her husband were both killed. At a nearby home, Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot but are in stable condition after surgery. Police said they are still investigating a motive for the attacks. The names on the list, which CNN obtained, are largely Democrats or figures with ties to Planned Parenthood or the abortion rights movement. The list included prominent lawmakers like Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Tina Smith as well as Planned Parenthood leaders. Police said Boelter also had fliers for anti-Trump protests in his car, raising fears that he may also have intended to target those rallies. Boelter largely shied away from political posts in his publicly available social media feeds and did not discuss abortion rights in any religious speeches reviewed by CNN. In one talk he gave in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023, he appeared sharply critical of LGBTQ rights. 'There's people especially in America, they don't know what sex they are, they don't know their sexual orientation, they're confused. The enemy has gotten so far into their mind and their soul,' he said in a sermon at a Pentecostal church in eastern DRC. Carlson said Boelter was recently having financial problems, possibly due to his regular travels to Africa. The security firm had failed to find traction, Carlson said, leaving Boelter scrambling to find work, including at a funeral home. 'Problem is, he quit all his jobs to go down there,' he said. 'And then he comes back and tries to find new jobs. Wasn't working out that good.' Those who knew Boelter from his church work said they were stunned that he was linked to the violence on Saturday. Pastor McNay Nkashama, who said he knew Boelter as a volunteer who preached Christianity, said he was struggling to reconcile the allegations with the man he knew. 'Of all the people I know, he would not hurt a fly,' Nkashama said in a brief telephone interview. 'I just cannot believe it.' Although Boelter lived in the small town of Green Isle about an hour outside Minneapolis, he often crashed in Carlson's rented home in the city. Carlson, 59, spoke with reporters Saturday night in front of the small home after returning from the lumber store to buy plywood for the windows, which had been busted open by a SWAT team earlier in the day. Carlson said he last heard from Boelter around 6:30 pm on Friday night. He said he knocked on Boelter's door, and when Boelter said he was tired, Carlson watched TV and went to bed. He said he awoke around 6:30 am Saturday and soon after he saw a text message from Boelter. It's unclear when the text was sent. Carlson declined to read it to reporters on Saturday night, but Reuters had reported earlier that Boelter told Carlson that he might be dead soon. After seeing the text message, Carlson said, he called the police. 'I thought he would do self-harm; I didn't think he was … ' his voice trailed off. Boelter served on a state board with Hoffman, records show. In 2019, Walz put Boelter on the Governor's Workforce Development Board – a group of business owners who recommend policies to the state government. In a letter, Walz said the post was in recognition of Boelter's 'integrity, judgment, and ability.' According to a spokesperson for the governor, the development board, which has more than 60 members, is one of many external boards and commissions whose members are unpaid and come from 'all parties.' The spokesperson said the governor does not interview applicants to the boards. It's unclear how closely Boelter and Hoffman interacted in that role, if at all. 'We are still exploring that,' Drew Evans, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent said in a news conference Saturday afternoon about whether Boelter knew the victims directly. 'There's certainly some overlap with some public meetings, I will say, with Sen. Hoffman and the individual, but we don't know the nature of the relationship or if they actually knew each other.' Boelter has worked as director of security patrols for Praetorian Guard Security Services, which provides 'random armed patrols' of customers' properties, according to the company's webpage – which also suggests he could have had access to uniforms and equipment that could aid in impersonating a police officer. The firm was registered to Boelter's home address and listed a woman who is apparently his wife as president and CEO; she did not respond to messages from CNN. The site advertised that the firm had 'police-type vehicles' and noted, 'We drive the same make and model of vehicles that many police departments use in the U.S. Currently we drive Ford Explorer Utility Vehicles.' The firm's website boasted of Boelter having experience in foreign conflict zones. It said that he was 'involved with security situations in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, including the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.' Video from outside Hortman's home on Saturday showed law enforcement towing a black Ford Explorer equipped with police lights. Archived photos from a home previously owned by Boelter show a similar vehicle in the driveway. In speeches reviewed by CNN, Boelter described his deep faith and said he was born again into the church as a teenager. 'I met Jesus when I was 17 years old and I gave my life to him,' Boelter told the church in the DRC in February 2023. 'And I just wanted to tell everybody about Jesus.' Records also show that Boelter once launched a Christian nonprofit called Revoformation Ministries. An archived website under that name includes a biography of him, describing Boelter as having traveled extensively to preach Christianity, including in the Middle East, where the site says he had sought out 'militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn't the answer.' That website described Boelter as a reverend and an author, noting that he had written a book that presents a 'different paradigm on the nature of man and our relationship with God.' CNN reviewed numerous videos of Boelter preaching in the DRC from 2021 to 2023. Boelter appears emotional when describing his religious devotion. He also frequently talked about his connection to the DRC and what he perceived as the suffering the country has endured due to decades of internal conflict and meddling of other countries. 'I've been to North and South America, I've been to the Middle East, I've been to Eastern Europe, and I've been in the DRC. I've never been in a country before like the DRC that has had so much taken away. I hear the history, and it hits my heart. So many people, so many countries have taken, taken, taken,' he said in 2022. Boelter said he worked at major food brands such as Nestlé, and was the general manager of a 7-11, according to an online resume. Boelter registered to vote as a Republican in the early 2000s, state records show. Carlson said he was a Trump voter. In a post six years ago on LinkedIn, Boelter encouraged people to vote and wrote, '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.' A state document that listed his 2019 appointment to a development board noted he had 'no party preference.' Boelter's LinkedIn page claims he had a doctorate in educational leadership and a masters of science in management, both from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, and he used the prefix Dr. on his website and social media. Social media posts also indicate he has multiple children. A search of Minnesota criminal records showed no cases against Boelter aside from some traffic charges. Boelter had a property outside the small town of Green Isle, about 50 miles west of Minneapolis, according to records. A sheriff's deputy was blocking a gravel road leading to the home on Saturday afternoon. In the town's restaurants and bars, no one who spoke to CNN knew Boelter or his family. Carlson said he thought Boelter's recent financial struggles may have pushed him into violence. 'He was looking around, but maybe things didn't work out and he just gave up and decided to go out in the blaze of glory,' he said. 'I have no idea what he was thinking.' This story has been updated with an interview with David Carlson. CNN's Majlie de Puy Kamp and Bob Ortega contributed to this report.
Fox News
24 minutes ago
- Fox News
Republicans criticize Dem congressional candidate's '86 47' post as call for 'political violence'
Republicans in swing state New Hampshire are criticizing the move by a Democratic congressional candidate to post a photo of herself next to an "86 47" sign, which some in the GOP see as a shorthand message suggesting violence against President Donald Trump. Maura Sullivan, a former Marine Corps officer who deployed in the Iraq War and later served at the Pentagon and the Veterans Administration under former President Barack Obama, attended a "No Kings" protest this past weekend in her hometown of Portsmouth, N.H. Demonstrators at thousands of rallies nationwide on Saturday protested what they call the president's anti-democratic actions and authoritarian tendencies. Sullivan, while at the rally, posted on social media a photo of herself standing next to a fellow veteran who was holding a sign that read "Veterans for Democracy." But the sign also included the phrase "Foxtrot Delta Tango," as well as the message "86 47." "Foxtrot Delta Tango" is a military-style phrase in the NATO phonetic alphabet that spells out the letters "FDT," which is seen as a derogatory term towards Trump. While "86" is a term long used in restaurants to signify when they are out of a food item on a menu, or in bars or military circles to get rid of something – or someone. And of late, some Republicans perceive it as a message to have Trump eliminated. The Secret Service continues to investigate former FBI director James Comey after he earlier this year posted on social media an image of seashells arranged to spell "86 47." Comey, following a conservative uproar, took down his post and apologized. The social media post by Sullivan, one of two top Democrats running to succeed Rep. Chris Pappas in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District, came hours after the horrific shootings of two leading Minnesota Democratic state lawmakers - one of them fatal. State Rep. Melissa Hortman, the former speaker of the Minnesota state House, and her spouse were killed, and Sen. John Hoffman and his spouse were severely wounded in the shootings, which appear to be politically motivated attacks. Sullivan's congressional campaign, in a statement to Fox News, pointed to the Minnesota shootings. "Maura is outraged and heartbroken about the assassination of a public servant in Minnesota. She believes that there is absolutely no place for violence in our politics, regardless of party or affiliation," Sullivan campaign manager Nick London said. London added that on Saturday, "Maura joined thousands of Granite Staters and millions of Americans in peacefully protesting Donald Trump's use of our servicemembers as props for his political agenda. If the President cared about our veterans, he would be focused on improving healthcare at the VA, expanding mental health services and supporting our military families." Republicans in New Hampshire quickly criticized Sullivan over her post. "I knew Maura was cozying up with the extreme radical left, but this is a step too far. Calls for political violence like this have no place in New Hampshire," New Hampshire GOP chair Jim MacEachern said in a statement. And NHGOP vice chair Hollie Novoletsky, who came in second in the 2024 GOP congressional primary in the 1st District, said in a statement, "Whether the target of an assassination is President Trump or a Democrat State Rep in MN, it is unacceptable. You'd think as a 'Veteran for Democracy,' Maura would know that." The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the campaign arm of the House GOP, which is trying to flip the district for the first time in eight years, went further. "Political violence has no place in our country – and posing with propaganda calling for the assassination of President Trump is dangerous and disqualifying," NRCC spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole argued. "Maura Sullivan must apologize, take down the photo, and take herself out of the running for New Hampshire's First Congressional District."
Associated Press
25 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Talks in Pennsylvania are at crunch time over a budget, legalizing marijuana and taxing skill games
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and state lawmakers are getting down to crunch time, with big questions still outstanding about how to balance the Democrat's spending request. A push is also on to make Pennsylvania the 25th state to legalize marijuana for adult use, raise the minimum wage and slap taxes on slot machine-like 'skill' games that are popping up in bars, pizzerias, convenience stores and even standalone parlors. Pennsylvania's politically divided government has two weeks left to pass a new spending plan before the state loses some spending authority when the new fiscal year starts July 1. Lawmakers describe closed-door talks as being at a crawl, and many are watching Congress to see if the federal government will make big cuts in aid. Here is a look at the major issues: Top priorities Top priorities for Shapiro and his fellow Democrats who control the state House of Representatives are boosting funding for public schools and public transit agencies. Republicans who control the Senate don't necessarily oppose those aims. But Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said threshold issues for his Republican members are finding ways to rein in rising Medicaid costs and proliferating skill games. Big increase in Medicaid Shapiro's $51.5 billion plan for the 2025-2026 fiscal year beginning July 1 would increase total authorized spending by 9% for state operations, or about $3.8 billion, including a $230 million request for the current year's spending. Of that, $2.5 billion would go to an increase in Medicaid spending, owing partly to a miscalculation in the cost to care for unexpectedly sick people remaining on the state's Medicaid rolls after the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers can delay the inevitable increase for a year by, say, low-balling the Medicaid appropriation or postponing a big reimbursement bill to providers, like hospitals or counties. Pennsylvania's deficit Shapiro's budget proposal holds the line on personal income and sales tax rates, the state's two largest sources of income. But it requires $4.5 billion in reserve cash to balance. Tax collections are projected to increase by $2.3 billion to $48.3 billion, or 5% more. But about half of that increase — $1.2 billion — depends on whether lawmakers legalize adult-use marijuana, expand how the corporate net income tax is applied and regulate skill games. The House last month passed legislation allowing Pennsylvanians 21 or older to legally buy and use marijuana. But it faces opposition from Senate Republican leadership. Meanwhile, skill games legislation backed by Senate Republican leadership carries a 35% tax rate and limits the number of machines in each establishment. That is sowing opposition from bar owners and could outlaw tens of thousands of machines that are currently operating. A court order on public schools An extra $800 million, or 6% more, would go to instruction in K-12 schools and higher education institutions, including Penn State, Temple, Pitt and state-owned universities. Most of the new education money — $526 million — is viewed as part of a multiyear, multibillion-dollar response to a court decision that found that Pennsylvania's system of public school funding violates the constitutional rights of students in the poorest districts. Separate legislation that passed the House is aimed at providing hundreds of millions of dollars in savings to public schools by shaving reimbursements to cyber charter schools. Its fate in the Senate is unclear. Human services providers Nursing home operators, home-care providers and counties that run mental health services are hoping for substantial increases in aid that Shapiro didn't include in his proposal. The biggest request is from agencies that dispatch home care workers to care for the roughly 150,000 to 200,000 people who qualify for Medicaid-funded home care. The Pennsylvania Homecare Association is seeking a 10% increase, or $370 million more. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 shifts are going unfilled each month in Pennsylvania because the relatively low wages make it difficult to attract workers, Haney said. Transit aid Shapiro is seeking an extra $283 million, or about 20% more, for public transit agencies as he works to stave off cutbacks by transit agencies struggling to regain ridership lost during the pandemic. Democrats support it. The trade-offs sought by Republicans are adding money for highway projects and funding it with a new source of cash, such as tax revenue from skill games. Minimum wageThe House last week passed legislation to make Pennsylvania the 31st state to raise its minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. More heavily populated counties would see bigger increases and sooner. It faces opposition from Senate Republican leadership. ___ Follow Marc Levy on X at:
