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Suspected Minnesota shooter intended to kill other lawmakers – DW – 06/16/2025
A US attorney said the suspected killer of a Minnesota lawmaker visited the homes of at least two other politicians the night of the attack. Governor Tim Walz had characterized the shootings as "politically motivated."
The suspect in the shooting and killing of a Minnesota lawmaker and the wounding of another went to the homes of at least two other state politicians the night of the shootings, a federal US attorney said on Monday.
Vance B., the man suspected of the killings was taken into custody Sunday evening, police said.
The arrest concludes the nearly two-day manhunt that put the midwestern state on edge.
What did the proescutor say about the suspect's plans?
One of the other lawmakers the suspect intended to kill was not home, US Attorney Joseph Thompson said at a press conference Monday, adding that the suspect left the other house after police arrived.
"The details of [the suspect's] crimes are truly chilling. They are the stuff of nightmares," said Thompson, Minnesota's acting US attorney.
Investigators have said they discovered a list in his car that included the names of dozens of legislators.
"Political assassinations are rare," Thompson said. "They strike at the very core of our democracy."
The county's chief prosecutor, Mary Moriarty, added that her office would seek first-degree murder charges, which carry a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
How was the suspect arrested?
Earlier on Sunday, Governor Tim Walz announced at a press conference that Vance B. was arrested "after a two-day manhunt, two sleepless nights."
"One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota," Walz said.
"A moment in this country where we watch violence erupt, this cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences. Now is the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country, and each and every one of us can do it," he said.
Walz has previously called the shooting a "politically motivated assassination."
Shooter posed as police officer
Police said that a man, posing as a police officer, shot and killed former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.
Before the arrest, authorities had said they had found a car, hat and other items belonging to the suspected shooter. The man had fled on foot early on Saturday when officers confronted him at Hortman's home.
Police say this was the same person who shot and injured Senator John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife at their home nine miles (14 kilometers) away.
Hoffman was undergoing surgery after being hit with nine bullets, according to a text message his wife sent to Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar.
"We are both incredibly lucky to be alive," his wife, Yvette Hoffman, said in the message that was shared on social media.
Minnesota manhunt continues
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What do we know about the shooter?
Friends and family of the suspected shooter said he was deeply religious and went to campaign rallies for US President Donald Trump.
In the car, officials found fliers for a local 'No Kings' rally scheduled for Saturday and a notebook with name of other lawmakers. This list also included names of abortion rights activists and healthcare officials, the Associated Press reported citing unnamed police officials.
Both Hortman and Hoffman have defended abortion rights in the state legislature.
Drew Evans, Superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, had earlier said that the suspect was not believed to have made any public threats before the attacks.
As for the motivation of the shootings, he said, "We often want easy answers for complex problems. Those answers will come as we complete the full picture of our investigation."
*Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery and Zac Crellin
