A Maple Grove lawmaker has confirmed that her house was one of four known residences visited early Saturday morning by the gunman accused of killing state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, as well as seriously wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.
“The past several days have been surrounded by so much grief and fear,” wrote State Rep. Kristin Bahner, DFL-Maple Grove, in a public statement released Wednesday.
“This senseless violence came to my door as well, placing me and my family in harm’s way,” she wrote. “I do not know why this man was filled with such hatred that he would come to my door; divine intervention led my family to change our plans, keeping us safe.”
Bahner said her family was away on vacation when Vance Boelter allegedly showed up at her residence at 2:24 a.m., less than 20 minutes after shooting the Hoffmans, carrying a handgun and wearing a black tactical vest, a mask and a badge.
Video from her home showed Boelter repeatedly ring the doorbell and announce loudly, “This is the police. Open the door. … We have a warrant,” according to criminal charges.
He was later spotted outside the New Hope home of state Sen. Ann Rest before driving to Brooklyn Park at 3:30 a.m. to kill the Hortmans. Following a massive manhunt, Boelter was captured within 48 hours and now faces both state and federal murder charges, the latter of which could involve life in prison or even the death penalty if he’s found guilty.
Bahner said she was “devastated by the loss of my leader, mentor and friend, Melissa, and her husband Mark. I would walk through fire to follow Melissa. She was strong and steadfast, she believed in cutting through to the essence of what was important. She never wavered from placing the people of Minnesota at the center of our work.”
She said she would keep the Hoffmans and their adult daughter, who was also home at the time of the shootings but not hit by gunfire, “in my constant thoughts and prayers. I know we will once again spar in the halls of the Capitol my friend, I look forward to the next great debate.”
Bahner said the Maple Grove Police Department has provided “excellent care, allowing us to continue to feel safe in our own home.”
“We will not let fear or division win,” she wrote. “Melissa has set a high bar, placing the work in our hands to make the world a better place.”