A Minnesota man has been arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder over the fatal shooting of Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as the attempted murder of Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife over the weekend.
Authorities are calling Saturday’s attacks a “politically-motivated” assassination after Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park early Saturday morning.
Just hours earlier, State Senator Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times in a similar attack at their nearby residence in Chamblin. The Hoffmans were taken to hospital and are now understood to be out of danger and recovering from their injuries.
Boelter, 57, an evangelical Christian with a checkered employment history, was finally cornered in Sibley County woodland on Sunday where he surrendered to law enforcement and was taken into custody.
He is believed to have impersonated a police officer during the attacks and the authorities have said they found a manifesto inside his car naming numerous other lawmakers and public officials he may have intended to target.
Who was Melissa Hortman?
Melissa Hortman, a Democrat and former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, was a formidable public servant,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said of his friend.
“She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place,” he continued. “She is irreplaceable.”
Hortman, 55, who was in her 11th term, was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2004. She is married and has two children.
“Melissa Hortman represented the best of Minnesota,” Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party chair Richard Carlbom said in a statement.
“She was a tireless, devoted public servant who deeply loved our state and devoted her life to making it a better place. The warmth and kindness she showed to her family and friends were matched only by her fierce commitment to improving the lives of those she had never even met.”
Who is John Hoffman?
John Hoffman, 60, and his wife were shot around 2am at their home in nearby Champlin. Both underwent surgery and are expected to survive.
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said: “The last information we had is that he was out of surgery and was in stable condition at that time, but that certainly [he] experienced significant injuries. So we’ll have to continue to monitor that.”
Hoffman, also a Democrat, is a state senator who was first elected in 2012 and represents Minnesota Senate District 34, which covers a swath of the northwest Twin Cities suburbs, including Rogers and Champlin.
Hoffman served as chair of the Human Services Committee and also served on committees for energy, environment and health and human services. He has one child.
“These were not random acts of violence,” Walz said. “This was targeted political violence. And it’s a dark day for Minnesota and for democracy.”
‘I may be dead shortly’
The suspect was named on Saturday afternoon as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter.
Boelter allegedly had a hit list of prominent Democratic lawmakers in his SUV, an official told The Independent.
At the time of the shootings, he was reportedly driving a black SUV with emergency lights, fully outfitted to be identical to a real police vehicle. He also wore a fake badge and a full police-style uniform.
Authorities say the suspect knocked on the victims’ doors, posed as a police officer and opened fire when they came outside.
The first shooting occurred around 2am at Sen. Hoffman’s home. A short time later, around 3.35am, officers responded to the Hortman residence, where a man dressed as a police officer was found at the door. When police approached, he shot Mark Hortman, fired at officers and then ran into the home.
Melissa Hortman was found dead inside and the suspect exited from the back of the home.
Officials revealed that the suspect worked for a private security company called Praetorian Guard Security Services. The company’s website lists Boelter as serving as its director of security patrols and as having training from people in the U.S. military.
Boelter’s roommate also claimed that the suspect sent him and another friend a text message at 6.17am on Saturday reporting that he “may be dead shortly.”
David Carlson, who said he has been friends with the suspect for 50 years, read the messages aloud to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“I made some choices, and you guys don’t know anything about this, but I’m going to be gone for a while,” the suspect allegedly said to his friends. “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.”
The message allegedly continued: “I don’t want to say anything more and implicate you in any way because you guys don’t know anything about this. But I love you guys and I’m sorry for all the trouble this has caused.”
Boelter is a white man who is 6-feet 1-inch tall, 220 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, according to the FBI.
Prior to his arrest, hee was last seen on Saturday morning wearing a light-colored cowboy hat, as well as a “dark-colored long-sleeve collared shirt or coat, light pants and carrying a dark bag.”
The impersonation aspect of the incident has deeply disturbed law enforcement officials.
“This individual exploited the trust that comes with our uniform,” said Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson. “It’s a betrayal that strikes at the heart of public safety.”
‘A dark day for Minnesota and for democracy’
Flags across Minnesota were lowered to half-staff on Saturday as tributes came pouring in for Rep. Hortman, who served her district since 2004, and for the Hoffmans, who remain hospitalized.
“This is a moment for unity, not division,” Walz said. “We will not allow fear or intimidation to define who we are as Minnesotans or as Americans.”
President Donald Trump issued a statement of support. “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota,” he said.
“This is a dark day today for Minnesota and for democracy,” Bob Jacobson, the Commissioner of Public Safety for the state of Minnesota, said during a news conference. “We will not allow fear or violence to define who we are, or how we move forward.”
“The suspect exploited the trust of our uniforms that our uniforms are meant to represent, that the trail is deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility,” Jacobson continued.
U.S. Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar, a longtime colleague of both victims, called the shootings “a stunning act of violence.”
Gabby Giffords, who survived a targeted assassination attempt in 2011, also responded along with a picture of herself with Hortman.
“My family and I know the horror of a targeted shooting all too well,” she wrote. “An attack against lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself.”
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