Man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers is in custody after
surrendering to police
[June 16, 2025]
By OBED LAMY, STEVE KARNOWSKI, MIKE BALSAMO and ALANNA
DURKIN RICHER
BELLE PLAINE, Minn. (AP) — The man suspected of killing a Minnesota
lawmaker and wounding another crawled to officers in surrender Sunday
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 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 Saturday in the northern Minneapolis
suburbs.
Authorities say he also shot Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his
wife, Yvette. They were injured at their residence about 9 miles (about
15 kilometers) away.
“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,”
Democratic Gov. 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. It began when Brooklyn Park
officers went to check on Hortman's home and saw her husband gunned down
before the shooter fled.
Authorities on Sunday 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.
Jail records show Boelter was booked into the Hennepin County Jail at
1:02 a.m. Central Time Monday and include two mug shots, one from the
front and one from the side, of Boelter wearing an orange prison shirt.
A targeted attack
Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension,
said the violence likely would've continued had Brooklyn Park offices
not checked on Hortman's home, causing Boelter to flee.
The Hoffmans were attacked first at their home in Champin early
Saturday. A criminal complaint unsealed after Boelter's arrest indicated
their adult daughter called 911 just after 2 a.m. to say a masked person
had come to the door and shot her parents.
After police in nearby Brooklyn Park learned that a lawmaker had been
shot, 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. Melissa Hortman was found dead inside, the
complaint said.
Authorities said Boelter posed as a police officer, even allegedly
altering a vehicle to make it look like a police car.
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This photo made available by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office
shows Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of assassinating the top
Democrat in the Minnesota House, as he was arrested late Sunday,
June 15, 2025. (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via AP)
No details on motive
Authorities did not give a motive as they announced Boelter's
arrest.
A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from the
fake police vehicle that was left at the crime scene, said two law
enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition
of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of
the ongoing investigation. 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.
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.
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 apologize 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.
An escalation in political violence
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.
“This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our
political differences,” Walz said Sunday.
On Sunday evening, U.S. 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.”
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.”
___
Karnowski reported from Minneapolis, and Balsamo and Durkin Richer
reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michael Biesecker
in Washington; Jim Mustian in New York; Sophia Tareen in Chicago and
Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this report.
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