After a two-day manhunt, law enforcement agents Sunday night arrested the man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers a day earlier, killing one and injuring the other.
Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was apprehended near his home in Green Isle, Minnesota, roughly 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis. The state of Minnesota on Sunday charged him with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in connection with the shootings. Each second-degree murder charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 40 years if convicted. State prosecutors said Monday that they are seeking to upgrade the charges to first-degree murder.
Later Monday, the Justice Department charged Boelter with six counts, including murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison or death. Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson for the District of Minnesota said during a news conference that it’s “too early to tell” if federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
Boelter made his initial appearance in federal court on Monday in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In a hearing that lasted about 10 minutes, a judge granted Boelter, who was wearing an orange jail suit, a public defender and set another hearing for June 27, NBC News reported.
Scroll to the bottom to read the state charging document, and read the federal criminal complaint here.
Officials say Boelter, impersonating a police officer, shot state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, around 2 a.m. Saturday in their home in Champlin, Minnesota, a northern suburb of Minneapolis. The Hoffmans were transported to a hospital and are expected to recover from their injuries.
He later went to the home of state Rep. Melissa Hortman in neighboring Brooklyn Park and fatally shot her and her husband, Mark Hortman, according to authorities.
Federal prosecutors said Monday that the suspect went to two other state lawmakers’ houses after Hoffman’s house and before opening fire at Hortman’s house. From Champlin, Boelter went to another lawmaker’s house in Maple Grove, about 12 miles south of Champlin, officials said. The lawmaker was on vacation with her family and wasn’t home, so Boelter left, according to the DOJ.
Boelter then went to a fourth lawmaker’s house in New Hope, about 5 miles southeast of Maple Grove, officials said. But the suspect left the area after encountering police officers who had arrived at the house to check on the lawmaker in response to the shooting in Champlin, the DOJ said. Boelter then went to Hortman’s home in Brooklyn Park.
Law enforcement officials have not publicly identified the two other lawmakers whose homes were visited by Boelter in Maple Grove and New Hope. In a statement Monday, state Sen. Ann Rest indicated she was the lawmaker targeted in New Hope.
“I have been made aware that the shooting suspect was parked near my home early Saturday morning,” she said. “I am so grateful for the heroic work of the New Hope Police Department and its officers. Their quick action saved my life.”
At Hortman’s house, law enforcement agents encountered the suspect, who fled the scene after shooting the Hortmans, officials said. He was on the run for about 43 hours before being captured.
“In the early morning hours of June 14, Beoleter went ot the homes of four Minnesota state politicians with the intent to kill them,” Johnson, the acting U.S. attorney, said on Monday. “It’s no exaggeration to say this is the stuff of nightmares,” he added. All of the allegedly targeted lawmakers are Democrats.
Gov. Tim Walz has described the shootings as “politically motivated.” Hortman was the DFL leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” Walz said at a press conference Sunday announcing Boelter’s arrest.
“Melissa Hortman was the core of who our values were,” he said. “We’ll take solace in the memory and the work that Melissa did, and you can rest assured that we will put every ounce of effort the state of Minnesota has to make sure justice is served.”
Hortman and her husband leave behind two children.
After multiple rounds of surgeries, Hoffman is “moving towards recovery,” Walz said Sunday. He was shot nine times, and his wife was shot eight times, his wife said in a statement Sunday. Both are expected to recover.
“We have no words,” she said in the statement Sunday. “There is never a place for this kind of political hate.”
‘Largest manhunt in the state’s history’
Around 6 a.m. local time Saturday, several hours after the shootings in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis, David Carlson received a text message from Boelter, Carlson told reporters.
Carlson, who said he is a close friend of Boelter, said the suspect texted him that he “may be dead shortly” and that he was “sorry for all the trouble this has caused.”
At some point, the suspect left the Minneapolis area and traveled roughly 50 miles southwest to Sibley County, which includes Green Isle, the small town where he lives, according to officials.
Around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, investigators received a report that the suspect’s vehicle and cowboy hat were spotted on the side of a highway near a wooded area in Sibley County.
“Law enforcement agents, including SWAT team members, converged in Green Isle on Sunday after receiving information that Boelter was seen in the area that day,” Drew Evans, superintendent of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said during a news conference Sunday.
The suspect was found armed and crawling in a field near his home Sunday night, authorities said. He was detained without any use of force, and no law enforcement agents were injured in the process, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Boelter was “cooperative” with law enforcement at the time of his arrest and “gave up peacefully,” Evans said during a news conference on Monday. About 20 SWAT teams covered “an extremely large area” in their pursuit of Boelter, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mary Bruley said during the news conference. “There is no question that this is the largest manhunt in the state’s history,” he said. Boelter, wearing a mask, blue shirt and police-style tactical vest with a badge, had knocked on the Hoffmans’ door in Champlin and announced himself as a police officer, according to the charging document. He then shot Hoffman and his wife. Their adult daughter was in the home at the time and called 911 to report the shooting. She was reportedly unharmed. After that shooting, police proactively sent officers to Hortman’s home, officials said. When they arrived around 3:30 a.m., they saw the suspect, still dressed as a police officer, shoot Mark Hortman through an open door of the home, according to the charging document. The suspect then fled the scene. Police found the Hortmans deceased from gunshot wounds inside. “Boelter exploited the trust our uniforms are meant to represent,” Bob Jacobson, commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety, said during a news conference Sunday. “That betrayal is deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility.” In fleeing the scene of the Brooklyn Park shooting, Boelter left a Ford SUV with police-style lights, officials said. Police searched the vehicle and found papers with the words “No Kings” written on them, an apparent reference to the massive “No Kings” demonstrations protesting President Donald Trump’s administration that took place nationwide Saturday. The discovery prompted state officials to ask people to avoid political rallies in the state until the suspect was apprehended. A Minnesota-based security company, Praetorian Guard Security, lists Boelter as its director of security patrols. The site describes Boelter’s involvement with “security situations” in “Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, including the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.” According to the bio, Boelter “brings a great security aspect forged by both many on the ground experiences combined with training by both private security firms and by people in the U.S. Military. He has worked for the largest U.S. oil refining company, the world’s largest food company based in Switzerland and the world’s largest convenience retailer based in Japan.” Documents available online indicate Boelter was appointed by then-Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton in 2016 to serve on the Governor’s Workforce Development Council, which includes dozens of members from across the political spectrum. Walz reappointed him to the council in 2019 for a term that expired in 2023. In the documentation for both appointments, Boelter is listed as having no political affiliation. A video posted online two years ago appears to show him preaching to a congregation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reported The Star Tribune. “I met Jesus when I was 17 years old, and I gave my life to him,” he said in the video. He also noted in his sermon that he has wife and five children — four daughters and a son. Police pulled over Boelter’s wife and “several other relatives” in a car Saturday morning as part of a perimeter stop, according to the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office. His wife and other relatives have been “very cooperative” with investigators, officials said. According to a federal affidavit, Boelter’s wife allowed law enforcement to search her phone, which revealed she and other family members received a group text message from Boelter that said, “Dad went to war last night… I don’t wanna implicate anybody.” He also sent a message to his wife, which said “words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for the situation… there’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around,” according to the affidavit. Law enforcement agents found two handguns, $10,000 in cash and passports for her and her children in the car, the affidavit states. Carlson, the close friend who said he received a text message from Boelter after the shootings, told reporters that Boelter is a strong supporter of Trump and has previously espoused strong feelings against abortion. Investigators are examining a list left behind by the suspect that includes the names of dozens of politicians and people outside of politics, two people familiar with the investigation told NBC News on Saturday. A source said that the list named prominent individuals in Minnesota who have been outspoken in their support of reproductive rights. Read the state criminal warrant for Boelter below: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Hayley Miller is the senior breaking news and blogs editor for MS NOW.
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