Man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers caught

1News

16-06-2025

The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another crawled to officers in surrender after they located him in the woods near his home, bringing an end to a massive, nearly two-day search that put the entire state on edge.
Vance Boelter was arrested today and charged with two counts of murder and two of attempted murder. 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 Sunday 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 about 15 kilometres away.
'One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,' Democratic Governor Tim Walz said at a news conference after Boelter's arrest.
The search for Boelter was the 'largest manhunt in the state's history,' Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said.
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It began when Brooklyn Park officers went to check on Hortman's home and saw her husband gunned down before the shooter fled.
Authorities today located a vehicle Boelter was using abandoned in rural Sibley County, where he lived, and a police officer reported that he believed he saw Boelter running into the woods, Bruley said.
Police set up a large perimeter and called in 20 different tactical teams, divvying up the area and searching for him.
During the search, police said they received information confirming someone was in the woods and searched for hours, using a helicopter and officers on foot, until they found Boelter. He surrendered to police, crawling out to officers in the woods before he was handcuffed and taken into custody in a field, authorities said.
This combo from photos provided by Minnesota Legislature shows from left, Senator John A. Hoffman and Rep. Melissa Hortman. (Source: Associated Press)
Earlier Sunday Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said at a news conference a nationwide warrant was out for the suspect's arrest.
Evans said authorities found a car very early Monday that 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.
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On Sunday evening, US Senator 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 nine bullet hits. I took eight, and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive. We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark. We have no words. There is never a place for this kind of political hate.'
Bullet holes mark the front door of the house of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife who were shot earlier in the day. (Source: Associated Press)
Authorities named Boelter, 57, 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 Sunday's shootings. He said they were cooperative and were not in custody.
The FBI had issued a reward of up to US$50,000 (NZ$83,029) for information leading to his arrest and conviction. They circulated a photo taken on Sunday of Boelter wearing a tan cowboy hat and asked the public to report sightings.
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More than 100 law enforcement officers, including SWAT teams, were searching the area, including nearby homes, Evans said. He also said they had received more than 400 tips from the public.
The earlier search happened in rural Sibley County, roughly 80 kilometres 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.
A crowd of officers were seen congregated on a dirt road near the abandoned dark sedan. Some officers broke off and walked into a wooded area off the road. The car was later towed away.
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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 coloured flowers and small American flags were placed Monday on the grey 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 knelt by the memorial. An emotional Stein called Hortman an 'absolute powerhouse' and 'the real unsung hero of Minnesota government'.
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No details on motive
(Source: Associated Press)
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 Sunday 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.
An amed FBI agent in an armoured vehicle takes part in the search for an active shooter. (Source: Associated Press)
A Minnesota official told AP that lawmakers who had been outspoken in favour of abortion rights were on the list. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
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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.
Law enforcement agents recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect's vehicle, and he was believed to still be armed with a pistol, a person familiar with the matter told AP. The person could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The suspect
This image provided by the FBI on Saturday, June 14, 2025, shows part of a poster with photos of Vance L. Boelter. (Source: Associated Press)
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.
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. … I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused," he wrote in messages viewed by AP.
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Two Democrats targeted
Police first responded to reports of gunfire at the Hoffmans' home on Sunday and found the couple with multiple gunshot wounds.
Local police from Brooklyn Park were assisting with the call and decided to proactively check on Hortman's home nearby, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said Sunday.
A Sibley County Sheriff's Deputy blocks the road where the suspect involved in the shooting of two state lawmakers vehicle was found (Source: Associated Press)
There, they encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle and a man dressed as an officer leaving the house. Officers confronted him, he fired at them, and officers returned fire. The suspect then retreated back into the home and fled on foot, Bruley said.
On social media, Governor 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 Representative Lisa Demuth and assumed the title speaker emerita.
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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.