MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The man accused of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another went to the homes of two other legislators on the night of the shootings, intending to inflict more carnage against those on his hitlist, a federal prosecutor said Monday.
But one of the other lawmakers was on vacation and the suspect left the other house after police arrived early Saturday, acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said at a press conference.
The suspect, Vance Boelter, meticulously planned out the attacks, carrying out surveillance missions, taking notes on the homes and people he targeted and disguising himself as a police officer on the night of the attacks, Thompson said.
“It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmare,” he said.
Boelter surrendered to police Sunday after they found him in the woods near his home following a massive manhunt over nearly two days that began near Minneapolis. He is accused of posing as an 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, who lived just a few miles away.
Federal prosecutors announced Monday that they have charged Boelter, 57, with federal murder, stalking offenses. He already faces state charges, including murder and attempted murder.
Boeltner had many notebooks full of plans and made efforts to find the addresses of his victims and their family members, Thompson said. But authorities have not found any writings that would “clearly identify what motivated him,” he said. Though the targets were Democrats and elected officials, Thompson said it was too soon to speculate on any sort of political ideology that could explain his motives.
Authorities declined to name the two other elected officials whom Boelter allegedly stalked but who escaped harm. But it was clear the shootings were politically motivated.
“This was a targeted attack against individuals who answered the call to public service,” said Alvin Winston, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis field office. The resulting search, he said, was the largest search for a suspect in the history of the state.
Boelter’s wife consented to a search of her phone by law enforcement, according to an FBI affidavit that cites from a text from Boelter to a family group chat: “Dad went to war last night … I don’t wanna say more because I don’t wanna implicate anybody.”
His wife got another text that said: “Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation … there’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around,” the affidavit said.
Suspect caught in Minnesota woods near his home
At one point, Boelter bought an electronic bike and a Buick sedan from someone he met at a bus stop in north Minneapolis, the federal affidavit said. Police found the sedan abandoned on a highway Sunday morning.
In the car, law enforcement found a cowboy hat Boelter had been seen wearing in surveillance footage as well as a letter written to the FBI, authorities said. The letter said it was written by “Dr. Vance Luther Boulter” and said he was “the shooter at large in Minnesota involved in the 2 shootings.”
The car was found in rural Sibley County, where Boelter lived, and a police officer reported that he believed he saw Boelter running into the woods. Police called in 20 different tactical teams, divvying up the area to search.
During the search, police said they confirmed someone was in the woods and searched for hours, using a helicopter and officers on foot, until they found Boelter. He gave himself up to police, crawling out to officers before he was handcuffed and taken into custody in a field, authorities said.
Jail records show Boelter was booked into the Hennepin County Jail early Monday.
A targeted attack
Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said the violence likely would’ve continued had Brooklyn Park officers not checked on Hortman’s home, causing Boelter to flee.
The Hoffmans were attacked first at their home in Champlin early Saturday. A criminal complaint unsealed after Boelter’s arrest indicated their adult daughter called 911 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 and exchanged gunfire with Boelter, who fled into the home before escaping, the complaint said. Melissa Hortman was found dead inside, according to the document.
Authorities said Boelter posed as a police officer, even allegedly altering a vehicle to make it look like a police car.
A Minnesota lawmaker said that Hortman’s dog had to be euthanized after being shot in the attack.
“Her children had to put down him after learning their parents had been murdered, ” Rep. Erin Koegel posted on the social media platform X. “Gilbert wasn’t going to survive. Melissa loved that dog. She trained him as a service dog. He flunked out of school and she was so happy he failed so he could stay!”
No details on motive
A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from the fake police vehicle 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 health care facilities, according to the officials.
A Minnesota official told the AP that lawmakers who had been outspoken in favor 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.
Just hours after the shootings, 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,” he wrote in messages viewed by the AP.
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Karnowski reported from Minneapolis, and Balsamo and Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michael Biesecker in Washington; Jim Mustian in New York; Sophia Tareen in Chicago, Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, and Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.
