Man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers is in custody after surrendering to police

The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another crawled to officers in surrender on 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 about 15 kilometres away. 

“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” Gov. Tim Walz said at a news conference.

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 mugshots, 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 alleged Boelter altered a vehicle to make it look like a police car. 

No details on motive 

Authorities have not yet given details on 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.

Evans clarified that while he described the materials on Saturday 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.

A Minnesota official told The Associated Press 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.

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. local time on 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.… I’m sorry for all the trouble this has caused,” 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 coloured flowers and small U.S. flags were placed Sunday 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 kneeled by the memorial. An emotional Stein called Hortman an “absolute powerhouse” and “the real unsung hero of Minnesota government.”