Latest news with #DrewEvans
France 24
3 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Suspected killer of Minnesota Democratic lawmaker arrested after two-day manhunt
The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another has been taken into custody, bringing an end to a massive, nearly two-day search that put the entire state on edge. Vance Boelter was arrested Sunday evening. Former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin home, about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away. 'One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota," Gov. Tim Walz said at a news conference. Boelter was arrested in a rural area in Sibley County, southwest of Minneapolis. 'Where he was ultimately taken into custody was in a field,' said Drew Evans, superintendent of Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. He said authorities believe Boelter acted alone. A criminal complaint unsealed Sunday night says Boelter, 57, faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in the deaths of the Hortmans and the wounding of Hoffman and his wife. The Hoffmans were attacked first at their home in Champin early Saturday. After police in nearby Brooklyn Park learned of that shooting, 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. The complaint indicates the shooting at the Hoffmans' home was called in by their adult daughter. Mark Bruley, Brooklyn Park Police Chief, said the search for the suspect involved 20 different SWAT teams. "There's no question that this is the largest manhunt in the state's history,' he said. Earlier Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said authorities found a car very early Sunday they believed Boelter was using, a few miles from his home in Green Isle, in the farm country about an hour west of Minneapolis. He also said they found evidence in the car that was relevant to the investigation, but did not provide details. Authorities named Boelter as a suspect, saying he wore a mask as he posed as a police officer, even allegedly altering a vehicle to make it look like a police car. Evens confirmed that investigators found a cowboy hat near the vehicle and believe it belonged to Boelter. The superintendent also said authorities interviewed Boelter's wife and other family members in connection with Saturday's shootings. He said they were cooperative and were not in custody. More than 100 law enforcement officers including SWAT teams searched the area, including nearby homes, Evans said. The earlier search happened in rural Sibley County, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis, where Boelter had a home with his wife and five children. Residents in the area received an emergency alert about the located vehicle that warned them to lock their doors and cars. The shootings come as political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated amid deep political divisions. Lawmakers said they were disturbed by the attacks as Twin Cities residents mourned. Brightly colored flowers and small American flags were placed Sunday on the gray marbled stone of the Minnesota State Capitol along with a photo of the Hortmans. People scrawled messages on small notes including, 'You were our leader through the hardest of times. Rest in Power.' Pam Stein came with flowers and kneeled by the memorial. An emotional Stein called Hortman an 'absolute powerhouse' and 'the real unsung hero of Minnesota government.' Authorities have not yet given details on a motive. A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from the fake police vehicle that was left at the crime scene, the officials said. The writings and list of names included prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates and information about healthcare facilities, according to the officials. Evans clarified that while he described the materials on Saturday as a 'manifesto,' the papers were not a political or ideological treatise. He said it was more of a notebook, listing lawmakers and other people, with various thoughts mixed in. He declined to give details. A Minnesota official told AP 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. The attacks prompted warnings to other state elected officials and the cancellation of planned 'No Kings' demonstrations against President Donald Trump, though some went ahead anyway, including one that drew tens of thousands to the State Capitol in St. Paul. Authorities said the suspect had 'No Kings' flyers in his car. 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. Around 6 a.m. Saturday, 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 AP. On Sunday evening, US Sen. Amy Klobuchar shared a statement from Yvette Hoffman expressing appreciation for the outpouring of public support. 'John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods,' Yvette Hoffman said in a text that Klobuchar posted on social media. 'He took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive. We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark.' On social media, Gov. Tim Walz remembered Hortman on Sunday as, 'The most consequential Speaker in state history.' Hortman, 55, had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since 2017. She led Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year's session in a power struggle with Republicans. Under a power-sharing agreement, she turned the gavel over to Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth and assumed the title speaker emerita. Hortman used her position as speaker in 2023 to champion expanded protections for abortion rights, including legislation to solidify Minnesota's status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions — and to protect providers who serve them. The couple had an adult son and an adult daughter. Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and was chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He and his wife have one adult daughter.
Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Times
Trump military parade live: nationwide ‘No Kings' protests against army display
Minnesota authorities say they believe the man suspected of shooting two Democratic state politicians, one of them fatally, is trying to flee the area. Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said authorities are looking for 57-year-old Vance Boelter and that he had not yet been caught. Authorities displayed a photo of Boelter wearing a tan cowboy hat that was taken in Minneapolis on Saturday and asked the public to report sightings. Evans said investigators have obtained video as well. Speaking at a press conference, he did not give details on a possible motive. Military parades are a rare sight in the US. Since the end of World War Two, the nation has staged only one major military parade: the National Victory Celebration, held in 1991 after America's successful interventions in the Gulf War. However, military displays are far more common elsewhere. In Britain, Trooping the Colour is held every year to celebrate the birthday of the monarch. It involves gun salutes, cavalry processions and music. Russia's Victory Day parade, which marks the Soviet Union's victory over the Nazis, is also held every year. In last month's parade, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles rolled through Red Square, in Moscow, while rocket launchers and flamethrower systems used in Ukraine were also on display. France marks Bastille Day, the national day of France, with a military parade that President Trump described as 'one of the greatest parades I've ever seen'. North Korea holds several military parades each to celebrate various holidays. While today's protests have remained largely peaceful, there have been some reports of confrontations between demonstrators and police. In one heavily Hispanic neighbourhood of northern Atlanta, tear gas was thrown into a crowd of protesters who were headed toward a highway. A chemical irritant has also been sprayed at demonstrators attempting to move past a line of officers with bikes in Charlotte, North Carolina. It appears that the confrontation took place as several hundred people remained in the area after the the city's official rally ended at 1pm. Protesters at President Trump's parade marking 250 years of the American military held placards displaying the numbers '86 47' on Saturday, a symbol of resistance that has been associated with violence. The significance of the numbers was highlighted in May when James Comey, the director of the FBI between 2013 and 2017, was put under investigation after posting an image to Instagram of sea shells on a beach spelling out the four protests on Saturday were organised by 'No Kings', a national movement made up of Americans who oppose the Trump administration. • Read the full story here Authorities in Texas have warned of 'credible threats' made against legislators planning to attend protests in Austin. An alert was sent out by the state's Department of Public Safety (DPS) on Saturday afternoon — just hours after two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota were shot in their homes. The Texan DPS said it was working with 'all local, state and federal law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our citizens and state property, as well as to protect individuals exercising their constitutional rights to assemble and free speech'. Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor of Texas, said: 'I urge everyone to take appropriate precautions and heed the warning of Texas DPS until the threat is no longer active.' Protests have been planned across several cities in Texas, a staunchly Republican state. Protests in Minnesota have been cancelled after a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband were assassinated on Saturday in an attack described by officials as politically motivated. Police said they are searching for Vance Boelter, 57, after Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot dead in their homes. Boelter is also suspected of shooting Democratic Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The couple survived and have since undergone surgery. It's believed Boelter gained access to the politicians' homes by impersonating a police officer. 'Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today's planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution,' State Patrol posted on social media on Saturday morning. President Trump has threatened a strong response to the 'No Kings' protests being held across the US today. Tens of thousands have already taken to the streets of New York, with protests also under way in Washington and Los Angeles, where unrest has rocked the city's Downtown district since last weekend. Demonstrators are out in full force in Springfield, Ohio, Seattle, Nashville and Miami. Earlier this week, Trump warned: 'People that hate our country … they will be met with very heavy force.' Despite the name of the 'No King' protests, which imply Trump is behaving like an aspiring autocrat, the president said earlier this week: 'I don't feel like a king … I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.'
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Yahoo
Meet the St. Paul-based team trying to get ahead of school shootings and workplace violence
In the 20 years since a teen carried out the deadliest school shooting in Minnesota at Red Lake High School, authorities have learned more about warning signs before violence. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension started the Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team in 2023 and just rolled out a statewide strategy. The work moves beyond a law enforcement-only approach to a multi-disciplinary team that includes mental health professionals, educators and community leaders. 'Far too often we hear about mass violence occurring in one of our communities, both in Minnesota and across the country, and yet we know there's a fairly regular pattern that exists with people that commit mass violence,' said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans, referring to people who are around perpetrators and, in hindsight, realized there were warning signs. The state's team is working to prevent violence 'from occurring in the first place,' focusing on threats to schools, houses of worship and other places where large numbers of people are gathered, Evans said. The work of threat assessments began on the federal level after attempted assassinations of public figures, including then-President Ronald Regan in 1981, to develop 'a profile for the type of person that would perpetrate that kind of violence,' with the view of prevention, said James Densley, co-founder of the St. Paul-based Violence Prevention Project and an expert in mass shootings. Behavioral threat assessment became an 'evidence-based approach' that's been applied to school shootings and workplace violence 'as a way of trying to get upstream of the problem and intervene before it ever occurs,' said Densley, who chairs Metropolitan State University's criminology and criminal justice department. Minnesota is the eighth state to roll out a statewide strategy for preventing targeted violence. The work is coordinated at the BCA's office in St. Paul. They assist local entities and also have a tip line that's open to the public. The state team began in October 2023 after receiving a federal grant. The information they receive is often about people causing safety concerns to those around them — and it's a change to their typical behavior. 'It's not if they made a threat, it's if they pose a threat,' said Emmah Pieper, BCA criminal intelligence analyst. Examples may include someone who is suddenly making agitated posts on social media or who shows an interest in something they didn't before — such as firearms, said Stefanie Dressen, BCA assistant special agent of change of the Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team. The change in behavior also includes talking about violence or other concerning behavior. Crime & Public Safety | Fire at Fargo Tesla charging station believed to be intentionally set Crime & Public Safety | St. Paul kidnapping case followed by federal drug trafficking charges Crime & Public Safety | Roseville police arrest 29 in retail theft blitz Crime & Public Safety | 'Her name is Darisha,' sister of teen intentionally struck in Forest Lake says at killer's sentencing Crime & Public Safety | 4 sentenced to prison in Colombia for murder of Twin Cities comedian Untreated mental illness or substance abuse problems could be driving the change, or it could be a grievance with someone or something they don't know how to resolve, Dressen said. A person could be motivated by politics or ideology, but that's not always the case. Other examples are people who are embarrassed by a divorce, fired from their job or being bullied at school. A major part of the behavioral threat assessment is determining whether a person has the means to carry out violence, including access to guns or other weapons. 'Everyone's affected by every targeted violence act, no matter where it happens in the country or in the world, because it makes us look over our shoulders,' Dressen said. 'It's not just a law enforcement problem, it's not just a school problem, it's a community problem.' The people who come to the attention of a Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team may not have committed a crime or their actions may constitute a threat of violence under state law. But if they're arrested and released, that doesn't take away violent plans they may be making, Dressen said. That's why the team's work is also about getting people connected to social services and mental health resources. For instance, a 32-year-old man was arrested in St. Cloud in 2021 for stalking and possibly planning an attack against police. A Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team — not the BCA's because it was before it was started — assessed the man and determined that civil commitment and addressing his untreated mental health condition 'would best serve him and public safety,' the BCA's strategy document says as an example. 'Since then, the man has been successfully living in the community and is gainfully employed.' Densley said he agrees that not all threats should mean a criminal response, especially for juveniles. If people are making threats — rather than keeping them to themselves — those should be viewed as a chance to step in and get them help, Densley said. But if a person's actions involve a criminal violation, a Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team will take a law enforcement and prosecution approach. In 2023, a 20-year-old from a Twin Cities suburb received a prison term for a 2021 burglary, during which he tried to steal guns. An initial assessment from a Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team 'identified an intent to carry out mass violence,' the BCA's report said. 'This approach ensured that the criminal justice system acted appropriately and in a coordinated fashion.' On March 21, 2005, the Red Lake community was devastated by shootings carried out by a Red Lake High School student — he killed five of his classmates, a teacher and the school's security guard, along with his grandfather and his grandfather's partner, before dying by suicide. Red Lake is 260 miles north of downtown St. Paul. 'What we endured as a community was tragic and devastating for so many wonderful individuals, families and the Red Lake community as a whole,' said Missy Dodds, a Red Lake High School teacher who is now an outreach specialist and speaker for Safe and Sound Schools. 'I want people to know that those we lost will never be forgotten — Neva, Chase, Thurlene, Dewayne, Alicia, Chanelle and Derrick. They will always have a place in our hearts.' Through the work of the 3.21.05 Memorial Fund, plans are being made for a permanent memorial in Red Lake. 'I am grateful that the lives lost and changed will forever be honored and remembered,' Dodds said. In their research, Densley and Hamline University criminology and criminal justice professor Jillian Peterson, the founders of the Violence Prevention Project, studied the warning signs showed by the Red Lake shooter. 'This was a student that had trouble at home, who was pretty immersed in Nazi, far-right propaganda, was posting things on social media, was writing about things in diaries and school projects,' Densley said. 'He had access to guns because his grandfather was a police officer.' But the problem before Red Lake and other mass shootings is the red flags that are 'pieces of a puzzle' and, while various people may know about pieces, it takes coordination — like a Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team — to put the puzzle together before violence happens, Densley said. Dodds said she believes 'in the threat assessment process and the evidence-based approach it provides to identify potential warning signs and opportunities for intervention on the pathway to violence.' She sees it as 'one part of a comprehensive approach to school safety,' which is something Safe and Sound Schools often talks about. The BCA knows of 20 Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Teams in Minnesota — some counties have them, along with school districts and corporations — and is aiming to work in coordination with them. The goal of having a strategic plan, which the BCA and Gov. Tim Walz publicized Thursday, is to make people around the state aware that they're a resource and they have training available, Dressen said. Crime & Public Safety | Delta plane from MSP that flipped in Toronto showed high rate of descent, initial report says Crime & Public Safety | U.S. 52 in Rosemount partially reopen after Pine Bend Refinery propane pipeline leak Crime & Public Safety | Burnsville man killed in weekend crash on Interstate 35E is identified Crime & Public Safety | Minnesota law enforcement tries roadside drug screening, like portable breath tests, on suspected impaired drivers Crime & Public Safety | Another raw pet food recall is tied to illness and death in cats Their message to the public is: 'It takes everybody being involved,' said BCA Special Agent Katie Gernentz, who works on the Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team. 'There is no bad tip, even if you only have minimal information,' Dressen added. 'If it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, if it makes you worried or scared,' that's a sign to come forward, Pieper said. People can make tips, including anonymously, about concerning or suspicious behavior by calling the BCA Tip line at 877-996-6222, emailing or downloading the BCA tip app called 'See it, Say it, Send it.'
