Suspect in Minnesota lawmakers’ shooting charged with murder

The suspect accused of murdering Minnesota State Representative Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, and shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife in a politically motivated attack, has been formally charged, according to prosecutors.

Armed with firearms and wearing body armor, Vance Luther Boelter, 57, disguised himself as a law enforcement officer and first went to Senator Hoffman’s home. After falsely identifying himself as police, Boelter opened fire when the door was answered, seriously wounding both Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

Boelter then attempted to confront two additional Minnesota officials but failed to make contact. He subsequently drove to the residence of Representative Melissa Hortman. Local law enforcement, already responding to the earlier shooting, arrived at the Hortman home to conduct a safety check.

Officers spotted Boelter’s black Ford Explorer SUV, outfitted with flashing police-style lights, and saw him standing in front of the residence.

Moments later, Boelter fired multiple rounds into the home, striking and killing Hortman’s husband. He then forced entry and shot the Representative multiple times. Despite officers rendering medical aid, both victims died at the scene. Boelter fled on foot after abandoning his vehicle.

Authorities recovered five firearms, a large quantity of ammunition, and handwritten notebooks from the SUV. The notebooks contained names and home addresses of dozens of Minnesota state and federal officials.

Following a two-day manhunt involving federal, state, and local agencies, Boelter was located and arrested in a field near his home in Green Isle on Sunday evening. Authorities said the manhunt was the largest in Minnesota’s history.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the killings have “shocked the nation and united us in grief,” adding that the Department of Justice “will prosecute this suspect to the fullest extent of the law.”

“These were targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson. “It was an attack on our state and on our democracy.”