Authorities say a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were killed and another lawmaker and his wife were injured at their homes by a man impersonating law enforcement in what Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination.”
Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Vance Luther Boelter, 57. Officials on Saturday afternoon said they were still searching for Boelter, who was last seen in the Twin Cities area. They considered him armed and dangerous.
Earlier on Saturday, authorities said they were searching for a suspect who impersonated law enforcement to gain access to the victims’ homes, exchanged gunfire with police and fled on foot outside Minneapolis.
Asked by reporters for his reaction to the Minnesota shooting, President Donald Trump replied, “Absolutely terrible. Absolutely terrible, and they’re looking for that particular man.” He spoke from the White House just before getting into his car for the short trip to the viewing stand for the Army parade.
Walz said state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed, and State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot multiple times and wounded in “targeted shootings” in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, two neighboring suburban cities 10 to 20 miles outside Minneapolis.
As of the morning, Walz said Hoffman and his wife were out of surgery and officials expected them to survive.
Hoffman and Hortman are both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. (The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) is a political party exclusive to Minnesota that was formed in 1944 when the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged.)
Hortman was Speaker-Emerita of the House of Representatives, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans.
House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Minnesota Republican, said she was devastated by Hortman’s loss.
“She was respected by everyone at the Capitol as a formidable advocate for her values and her caucus,” Demuth said in a statement. “She battled fiercely, but never let it impact the personal bond that we developed serving as caucus leaders.”
Multiple people had been detained for questioning but no one was in custody as of Saturday morning, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Asked if investigators know the name of the suspect, he had said there are “people of interest that we’re looking for.”
Bruley said the shooter impersonated a police officer, complete with an SUV that appeared similar to real police vehicles, a vest, outfit and equipment. The shooter knocked on the victims’ doors and used the ruse to “manipulate their way into the home,” Bruley said.
Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman are shown in these undated file photos.
President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the “terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers.”
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!” he said in a statement.
Minnesota ‘No Kings’: Protests canceled after two lawmakers shot, 1 killed
Police still searching for Vance Luther Boelter
Officials said they were still searching for Vance Luther Boelter, the 57-year-old suspect accused of shooting state lawmakers.
Described as a white man who is 6 feet, 1 inch tall, Boelter was last seen Saturday morning in Minneapolis, according to Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. In an image shared by law enforcement officials, he was wearing a light-colored cowboy hat, dark-colored long sleeve shirt or coat and carrying a dark bag. Officials suspect he’s still in the Twin Cities area, though he may be trying to leave the area.
Evans said Boelter should be considered as armed and dangerous and urged members of the public to call 911. It’s unclear whether additional people were involved in the shooting, Evans said.
Who is Vance Luther Boelter
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has officially named Boelter as a suspect in the case, although he is not charged with any crime. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Boelter.
Boelter is a St. Cloud State University graduate, according to SCSU spokesperson Zach Dwyer. Boelter wrote on his LinkedIn page that he was the CEO of a company called “Red Lion Group” and that he has traveled to Congo and several other countries, but those claims have not been confirmed.
In 2019, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz named Boelter and dozens of others to his Governor’s Workforce Development Board, which according to the governor’s web site assists the Governor in “developing, implementing, and modifying the State plan, review of statewide policies and programs, providing recommendations on actions to align and improve the workforce development system and programs,” and other state matters.
The governor’s web site listed Boelter as a “business and industry representative.” His appointment was effective from December 2019 to January 2023, according to the site.
A spokesperson for Walz said the governor’s office appoints thousands of people of all parties to boards and commissions. The workforce development board has over 60 people on it.
They are unpaid, external boards created by the legislature, and Walz doesn’t interview applicants, the spokesperson said. They aren’t appointments to a position in the governor’s cabinet, the spokesperson said.
Stay home from protests amid search, Minnesota officials say
The shootings come as about 2,000 “No Kings Day” demonstrations around the country are planned to protest against the Trump administration. Authorities found papers with “No Kings” written on them in the back seat of the suspect’s vehicle, Col. Christina Bogojevic with the Department of Public Safety said.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety asked people in Minnesota to stay home from all planned demonstrations on Saturday, Gov. Tim Walz said.
“Out of an abundance of caution my Department of Public Safety is recommending that people do not attend any political rallies today in Minnesota until the suspect is apprehended,” he said.
There was no evidence that there was a specific threat to the “No Kings” rallies, but Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said authorities were sharing the information about the papers found so the public remains informed.
Planned “No Kings” protests in Minnesota were canceled to adhere with guidance from state officials, according to a statement from the coalition that organized the events.
Suspect wanted to ‘instill fear,’ Brooklyn Park mayor says
Elected officials have described the shootings as a “politically motivated assassination,” though law enforcement officials were still searching for clues behind the shooter’s motives.
“This individual did this to instill fear into our community,” Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston said in a briefing Saturday afternoon. “But they also wanted to create a distinct and singular point of view.”
Inside the suspect’s car, police found a “manifesto,” including a list of other lawmakers, and papers saying “No Kings,” which officials said was an apparent reference to ongoing protests around the country.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said it was still premature to say what the motive was behind his writings.
Minneapolis mayor announces additional police to check on public officials’ safety
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said additional police resources have been used to check on the safety of public officials who may be at risk.
Other police are actively participating in the search, he said in a Saturday Facebook post.
“Political violence is evil,” Frey said. “It cannot be tolerated, and neither can those who condone it or make excuses for it.”
Minneapolis, the largest city in the state, is located just south of Brooklyn Park and Champlin, where the shootings occurred. St. Paul, located next to Minneapolis, is the state’s capital.
Who were the victims of the Minnesota lawmakers shootings?
Hoffman and Hortman are both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Hoffman, 60, and his wife Yvette have one child and live in Champlin, according to his lawmaker profile. He was first elected in 2012. Hortman and her husband Mark have two children and live in Brooklyn Park, according to her profile. She was elected in 2004.
Hortman served the people of Minnesota with compassion and grace, Gov. Tim Walz said.
“Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends, Walz said. “She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place.”
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who represents Minnesota, said she was “heartbroken” by the Hortmans’ deaths.
“Melissa was a good friend and we started in politics at the same time and were always there for each other. She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion,” Klobuchar said in a post to X.
“This is a dark day today for Minnesota and for democracy, but we will not allow fear or violence to define who we are or how we move forward. We will stand together, we will stand strong,” Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said.
“I cannot emphasize enough that this is not ok. Any type of against elected officials is not ok. Any type of violence against other people is not ok,” nearby Mounds View Mayor Zach Lindstrom said in a post.
What happened in the Minnesota lawmakers shootings?
Officials say the shootings unfolded in the early morning hours Saturday. At about 2 a.m., authorities were called to respond to a report of a shooting in Champlin at Hoffman’s home, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said at the news conference. The Hoffmans had been shot and wounded and were transported to a hospital, where they underwent surgery.
“The Hoffmans are out of surgery at this time and receiving care, and we are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt,” Gov. Tim Walz said.
While law enforcement was responding at the Hoffman home, police in neighboring Brooklyn Park, who were helping on the scene, decided to proactively check on Hortman, Bruley said. When they arrived at Hortman’s home, they saw what appeared to be a police vehicle with lights on and encountered a man dressed as an officer coming out of the home.
The suspect shot at the officers, who returned fire, and then the suspect went back into the home and is believed to have fled on foot out a back door, Bruley said.
Bruley said the suspect impersonated a police officer, complete with an SUV that is identical to real police vehicles, a vest, outfit and equipment. The suspect knocked on the victims’ doors and used the ruse to “manipulate their way into the home,” Bruley said.
“It was not a real police officer,” he said. “No question if they were in this room, you would assume they are a police officer.”
Hortman and her husband were both shot to death, officials said.
Search for shooter continues; residents shelter
Thousands of people were sheltering in place in the area as a massive search for the suspect unfolds, authorities said Saturday morning. Residents should not answer their doors to anyone claiming to be a police officer without first calling 911 to confirm their identity, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Officers have been instructed to only approach people in pairs, so a single police officer knocking on someone’s door would be a red flag, he said.
Gov. Tim Walz said earlier Saturday morning he was briefed on “targeted shootings” and had activated the State Emergency Operations Center in response.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department issued an early morning shelter-in-place alert for a 3-mile radius around the Edinburgh Golf Course, the city of Brooklyn Park said in a post to Facebook.
Law enforcement agencies including SWAT teams are conducting grid searches of the area for the suspect on Saturday.
“We want to reassure the public that there is increased security in place for elected officials and others who may be at risk,” Jacobson said.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY; Reuters; Corey Schmidt, St. Cloud Times.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota lawmakers shooting: Vance Luther Boelter ID’d as suspect