Authorities arrest suspect in killing of top Minnesota lawmaker
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Brooklyn Park police officers patrol a neighborhood near where state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed early Saturday. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Police arrested a man on Sunday whom they believe assassinated the top Democrat in the Minnesota House in shootings that targeted two state lawmakers at their homes in the Twin Cities suburbs.
The big picture: The killing of state House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, and wounding of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, set off what Gov. Tim Walz called a "complex and dangerous" manhunt that spanned nearly two full days.
- The violence shook Minnesota, prompting Walz to warn thousands against attending anti-Trump rallies statewide while the suspect remained at large.
- The search for 57-year-old suspect Vance Luther Boelter triggered orders for thousands of residents in Brooklyn Park, where the Hortmans lived, to shelter in place for much of Saturday.
The latest: Boelter, who was booked into Hennepin County jail overnight, faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, according to recently unsealed charging documents.
- He is set to make his first court appearance early Monday afternoon.
- The U.S. Attorney's office is examining whether to file additional federal charges, Drew Evans, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent, said.
What they're saying: "One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota," Walz told reporters at a Sunday night press conference.
- The governor thanked law enforcement, saying they "spent Father's Day away from their families to deliver justice for Melissa and Mark Hortman and their children, who spent this Father's Day alone."
Driving the news: Authorities from multiple agencies, including the FBI and Minnesota State Patrol, apprehended Boelter in a rural area southwest of the Twin Cities, Walz said.
- Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley called the search for Boelter "the largest manhunt in the state's history."
- Evans said Boelter was armed at the time of his arrest.
How it happened: More than 100 law enforcement officials spent Sunday afternoon and evening searching Green Isle in rural Sibley County, where Boelter had a residence.
- That focus on that area followed the discovery of a vehicle associated with Boelter, as well as a hat he was previously seen wearing, Evans said.
- A tip about Boelter's whereabouts allowed law enforcement to converge on his ultimate location with the help of SWAT teams, the FBI and the Minnesota State Patrol's air unit.
- Boelter, whom officials had described as armed and dangerous during the search, was placed under arrest without the use of force from law enforcement, Evans said.
What we're hearing: Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) was one of many elected officials who expressed "profound gratitude for law enforcement officers who spent countless hours" working to bring Boelter into custody and keep other legislators safe.
- "Love to my Senate & House colleagues who will emerge from an active threat and begin to grieve," Murphy added.
- State House Speaker Lisa Demuth said in an emailed statement she is "grateful that this nightmare has come to an end" with the suspect "captured alive so he can be charged" and prosecuted "for the horror" he is accused of having wrought on Minnesota."
What happened: Police responded around 2am CT Saturday to a call saying Hoffman and his wife had been shot at their home in nearby Champlin by someone impersonating a law enforcement officer, according to charging documents unsealed Sunday night.
- Officers proactively checked on Hortman at her home roughly five miles away about 3:35am. When officers arrived, they saw a man dressed as a police officer shoot Hortman's husband Mark through the open door to the home.
- Officers exchanged gunfire with him before he escaped. Inside, officers found both Hortmans shot.
Zoom in: Officers discovered in the driveway a list inside the suspect's vehicle, which was registered to Boelter and resembled a police SUV, which included the names and addresses of other public officials, per the criminal complaint.
- An official who saw the document told Axios it includes prominent individuals who support abortion rights in Minnesota.
- Inside the SUV, officers found "at least three AK-47 assault rifles [and] a 9mm handgun," as well as a ballistic vest, disassembled handgun, mask and "a gold police-style badge," the charging document reads.
Plus: The vehicle included multiple papers inscribed with the tagline for the anti-Trump rallies, "No Kings," which led Walz to echo state public safety officials' calls for attendees to stay home "out of an abundance of caution."
- Though organizers cancelled some local events, the main rally in St. Paul proceeded with large crowds in attendance.
Go deeper: Read more in Axios Twin Cities' Monday newsletter.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
Axios' Nick Halter and Torey Van Oot contributed reporting.
