Latest news with #VanceBoelter
Wall Street Journal
11 minutes ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Manhunt Under Way for Suspect in Minnesota Lawmaker Killing
Law enforcement continued to search Sunday for the suspect in the killings of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and the shooting of a second lawmaker and his wife that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has called an act of 'targeted political violence.' The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, is believed to have posed as a police officer to gain access to the Brooklyn Park home of State Rep. Melissa Hortman, according to law-enforcement officials. The 55-year-old lawmaker and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot there early Saturday.
Bloomberg
22 minutes ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Hunt for Suspected Shooter of Minnesota Democrats in Second Day
The manhunt for a shooter who killed a Democratic state lawmaker in Minnesota and wounded another went into a second day, as speculation about a motive focused on the suspect's stance on abortion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Vance L. Boelter, 57. The four known victims include Melissa Hortman, the Democratic leader in the state House, and her husband, Mark, who were fatally shot at their house early Saturday.
CBC
22 minutes ago
- Politics
- CBC
Man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers still at large
A massive manhunt entered a second day on Sunday in Minnesota for the suspected gunman who killed a Democratic state lawmaker while posing as a police officer — a crime that Governor Tim Walz characterized as a "politically motivated assassination." The suspect, whom police have identified as Vance Luther Boelter, 57, fled on foot when officers confronted him at the Brooklyn Park home of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were both killed. The gunman earlier had shot and wounded another Democratic lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette at their home a few kilometres away, authorities said. Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, said on Sunday morning that authorities believe the suspect is still in the Midwest, adding that an alert had been put out in neighbouring South Dakota. "Clearly, this is politically motivated," she said, noting that the state's entire congressional delegation — Republicans and Democrats — issued a shared statement condemning the shootings. The suspect left behind a vehicle outside Hortman's house in suburban Minneapolis that resembled a police SUV, including flashing lights, and contained a "manifesto" and a target list of other politicians and institutions, officials said. Authorities had not publicly identified a specific motive as of Saturday evening. Boelter has links to evangelical ministries and claimed to be a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa, according to online postings and public records reviewed by Reuters. "There clearly was some through line with abortion, because of the groups that were on the list and other things that I've heard were in this manifesto. So that was one of his motivations," Klobuchar said. Boelter had been appointed in 2016 by Walz's predecessor to a state advisory board, where he served alongside Hoffman, according to state records. Authorities said they were not certain yet whether the two had any meaningful interactions. "There's certainly some overlap with some public meetings, I will say, with Senator Hoffman and the individual," Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Supt. Drew Evans told reporters on Saturday. "But we don't know the nature of the relationship or if they actually knew each other." The killing was the latest in a series of high-profile episodes of political violence, including the attack on former Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in 2022, the attempted assassination of Donald Trump during last year's presidential campaign, and an arson attack at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's house in April. Republican and Democratic politicians across the country reacted with shock and horror and issued calls to tone down increasingly heated political rhetoric. Klobuchar said she had seen both Hortman and Hoffman at a political dinner on Friday, just hours before they were shot. "We started out together in politics, moms with young kids, and somehow she was able to balance getting to know every door, knock on every house in her district, while raising two children — Girl Scout leader, she taught Sunday school," she said of Hortman, 55. Klobuchar said both Hoffmans were "hanging in there" after undergoing surgery for multiple gunshot wounds. Gunman posed as officer The attacks started around 2 a.m. ET on Saturday, when authorities said a gunman shot the Hoffmans in their home in Champlin, before driving several kilometres to Hortman's home in Brooklyn Park. Police went to the Hortman house proactively at the request of a sergeant who responded to the Hoffman attack, concerned other politicians might be at risk. The gunman immediately fired upon the two officers when they arrived, and when they returned fire, he ran. The FBI released photos of the suspect wearing a rubber mask and a police-like uniform. David Carlson, 59, told Reuters he has shared a house in Minneapolis with Boelter for more than a year and last saw him on Friday night. He said he received a disturbing text from Boelter at about 6 a.m. on Saturday. "He said that he might be dead soon," said Carlson, who called police. WATCH | Gunman posed as police officer, authorities say: Ex-Minnesota House Speaker and husband dead in targeted shootings, second lawmaker and wife wounded 21 hours ago Duration 3:55 Police said they found flyers with "No Kings" printed on them in the suspect's car in reference to the thousands of nationwide "No Kings" protests on Saturday against the Trump administration, but that there were no known direct links between him and the movement. "Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America," Trump said in a statement. Trump has faced criticism from some opponents for using inflammatory rhetoric at times when talking about his political rivals. In one of his first moves in office earlier this year, Trump pardoned nearly everyone criminally charged with participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Lawmaker killed, another shot at in Minnesota: What we know about the attacks, the suspect
A search unfolded across Minnesota's Twin Cities region Saturday after the assassination of one Democratic state legislator and the attempted assassination of another. Officials said the gunman, who escaped after a shootout with police, was impersonating a police officer and carrying a list of targets that included politicians and abortion providers. State officials said the suspect, whom they identified as Vance Boelter, 57, was believed to still be in the Twin Cities area but might be trying to flee. They shared a photograph of him wearing a cowboy hat that they said was captured by a security camera in Minneapolis on Saturday, not long after the overnight attacks. Officials said the gunman killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded state Sen. John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in separate attacks at the lawmakers' suburban homes. The attacks shook political leaders from both parties, and many condemned the killing, which took place on a day of national protests of President Donald Trump's policies. 'This was an act of targeted political violence,' Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota said. 'Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.' Trump said he 'been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota,' adding that 'such horrific violence will not be tolerated.' A list found by investigators in the suspect's car included about 70 potential targets, a federal law enforcement official said. The list included former and current politicians, doctors, community and business leaders, and locations for abortion providers. Lexi Byler, a spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., said Smith was on the list. Some of the targets were in neighboring states. Investigators from state and local departments and the FBI flooded the region as they searched for the gunman. The FBI offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The Minnesota State Patrol urged people not to attend political protests Saturday 'out of an abundance of caution' after they found papers that said 'No Kings,' the title of the coordinated demonstrations, in the gunman's car. Some rallies in the state were called off as a result, but scores of people still gathered outside the state Capitol in St. Paul, many carrying American flags or holding signs that read 'No Kings.' The two victims Speakers at that demonstration paid tribute to Hortman, a lawyer who was a legislator for about 20 years. She served as the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives for a six-year period ending earlier this year. Hortman helped Democrats pass several key policies on abortion rights, marijuana legalization, medical leave and other issues in 2023 and 2024, when her party briefly held full control of the state government. Hoffman, a fourth-term state senator from Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb, chairs the Senate's Human Services Committee and has said he strives for 'collaboration across the aisle.' His home address was published on his bio page on the Senate's website. Both houses of the Minnesota Legislature are closely divided. Before Hortman's death, the House had been evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats have a one-person majority in the Senate. The shootings came days after the conclusion of an unusually acrimonious legislative session, during which tensions over party dominance had turned into a legal dispute, and a narrowly divided statehouse struggled to agree on a two-year budget. The shootings were the latest in a series of recent attacks on political figures that has shaken American politics. Gunmen and arsonists have targeted politicians in both parties, from state-level officials to Trump, whose right ear was grazed in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally last year. Just over two months later, Secret Service agents traded fire with a man they called a second would-be assassin at one of Trump's golf courses in Florida. In April, a man was charged with setting fire to the residence of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Not long before, the Republican Party headquarters in New Mexico and a Tesla dealership near Albuquerque were firebombed, at the height of Elon Musk's involvement in the Trump administration. And less than a month ago, a man gunned down two workers from the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Officials shared some information about how the attacks unfolded, including the quick thinking of a police sergeant that led officers to the Hortmans' home. They arrived too late to save the couple, but they engaged the gunman in a shootout, and after he ran, they were able to seize his car. Around 2 a.m., officers from the Champlin Police Department responded to a report of a shooting at a home in Champlin, in the Minneapolis suburbs. There, they found Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, injured with gunshot wounds. Officers from Brooklyn Park, a nearby suburb, assisted in the emergency response to the Hoffman home, and a sergeant from that department became concerned after discovering that one of the victims was a politician. 'In hearing that, that very intuitive sergeant asked our officers to go check on Melissa Hortman's home, the representative that lives in our community,' said Chief Mark Bruley of the Brooklyn Park Police Department. Two Brooklyn Park officers drove to Hortman's home around 3:30 a.m., and when they pulled up at her street, they were met with a strange sight: A police vehicle, or what appeared to be one, was already there, parked in the driveway with its emergency lights on. As the officers approached, a person who looked like a police officer — dressed in a blue shirt and pants, sporting what looked like a protective vest, carrying a Taser, and wearing a badge — was at the door and walking out of the house. When confronted by the officers, the person immediately opened fire. Police fired back, and the person 'retreated into Melissa's home,' Bruley said. It wasn't immediately clear whether anyone had been shot in the confrontation. Officers moved to the entrance of the house and saw Mark Hortman's wounded body. They took a few steps inside the home, dragged Hortman out and attempted first aid. He was pronounced dead shortly after. More officers were called to the scene and surrounded the house. A SWAT team arrived and sent a drone into the house, which helped its members find the body of Melissa Hortman inside. But the gunman escaped on foot, officers said, and officials began a 'large scale' search.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Manhunt continues for suspect in shootings of Minnesota lawmakers
The hunt for the man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses while impersonating a police officer, killing one legislator and her husband, continued on Sunday more than 24 hours after the killings. Vance Boelter, 57, now on the FBI's most wanted list, is believed to have left the Minneapolis region after allegedly gunning down Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home, according to CNN. Boelter is also suspected of shooting Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their residence, gravely injuring them. Authorities have disseminated photos of Boelter to border patrol agents in case he tries fleeing to Canada, CNN said. At aabout 3.30am local time, police responded to a shooting at Hortman's house to find Boelter leaving the property dressed as a police officer. They said he exchanged shots with them before escaping on foot. Police said Boelter's uniform might appear authentic to most people. Boelter also drove a vehicle that appeared identical to an SUV police squad car, said Mark Bruley, a local police chief. 'It was equipped with lights, emergency lights, that looked exactly like a police vehicle, and yes, they were wearing a vest with Taser, other equipment, a badge very similar to mine, that, no question, if they were in this room, you would assume that they are a police officer,' Bruley said. Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, said the murders appear 'to be a politically motivated assassination'. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's apprehension and conviction. He was added to the FBI's most wanted list on Saturday. Before the attacks he reportedly contacted two friends by text message, which they read aloud to the Minnesota Star Tribune: 'I made some choices, and you guys don't know anything about this, but 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 added: 'I don't want to say anything more and implicate you in any way because you guys don't know anything about this. But I love you guys and I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused.' Authorities reportedly said that Boelter left a list of potential targets at the shooting scene. Multiple outlets have reported that it included pro-choice lawmakers, as well as reproductive health clinics.
