CHAMPLIN, MINNESOTA – JUNE 15: Bullet holes are seen in the door outside the home of DFL State Sen. John Hoffman on June 15, 2025 in Champlin, Minnesota. Hoffman and his wife were shot and hospitalized yesterday morning. DFL State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were also shot and killed in a separate incident. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said during a press conference that the shooting “appears to be a politically motivated assassination.” (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The man accused of killing DFL House leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, and shooting DFL state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, went to the homes of two additional state lawmakers in the early hours of Saturday morning, federal officials said Monday.
Vance Boelter, 57, is facing several state and federal charges for the murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman and the shootings of John and Yvette Hoffman, and related other crimes. The Hoffmans survived but remained hospitalized.
Boelter’s path took him, in total, to the homes of four state lawmakers in the northwest metro of the Twin Cities before he got in a shootout with police officers outside the Hortmans’ home in Brooklyn Park and fled the scene.
Boelter was captured Sunday evening by state and federal agents in a field about a mile from his home in Green Isle, about an hour west of the Twin Cities, following a 43-hour manhunt.
Boelter maintained notebooks with a list of Democratic elected officials, including Hortman and Hoffman, along with addresses and the names of abortion providers. He has been described by those who knew him as a Christian who voted for President Donald Trump, who was facing financial hardship after quitting his job to embark on business ventures in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Federal authorities say that after Boelter shot the Hoffmans, he drove to a home in Maple Grove belonging to a state representative. Boelter, dressed in a fake law enforcement uniform and wearing a mask, knocked on the door and said “This is the police. Open the door,” according to surveillance footage from the home referenced in federal charging documents.
The representative and her family were not at home. No one answered the door.
Authorities declined to name the representative who lived at the house. Maple Grove is split into two House districts — one represented by Republican Rep. Kristin Robbins, and the other by DFL Rep. Kristin Bahner.
As word spread about the shooting of the Hoffmans, a New Hope police officer drove to the local state senator’s house to check on the lawmaker. The New Hope police officer spotted what looked like a police SUV parked down the block from the senator’s home. Assuming it was another officer dispatched to provide protection, the New Hope officer pulled up next to the SUV.
Boelter was inside the vehicle, likely still wearing the silicone mask that he wore as he shot the Hoffmans, said Joe Thompson, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota. As the New Hope officer attempted to speak with Boelter, Boelter stared straight ahead and didn’t respond. The officer then drove down the block to the senator’s house, and Boelter left.
New Hope is represented by DFL state Sen. Ann Rest, and in a statement Monday, she thanked law enforcement for saving her life.
“I have been made aware that the shooting suspect was parked near my home early Saturday morning. I am so grateful for the heroic work of the New Hope Police Department and its officers. Their quick action saved my life,” Rest said.
Boelter then drove to the Hortmans’ in Brooklyn Park, the federal charging documents allege. A notebook recovered from his home included notes about the Hortman family and home.
Brooklyn Park police, responding to the same call for protection following the Hoffmans’ shooting, arrived on the scene moments before Boelter fired his gun as he entered the home through the front door. Boelter escaped through the back of the house, and police officers found Melissa and Mark Hortman — and their dog — inside the home with fatal gunshot wounds.