The search for the Minnesota suspect has entered its second day. The FBIannounced a widespread manhunton Saturday evening, offering a reward of up to $50k for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Vance L. Boelter, 57, who is suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses at their residences in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Boelter is described as a white man of 6 ft. 1 in., weighing 220 lb. The FBI warned the public that Boelter “should be considered armed and dangerous.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walzreferred to the shootings of the lawmakers and their spouses as acts of “targeted political violence.”
Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed by an individual impersonating a police officer. Hortman was the former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She and her husband had two children.
“Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends,” Walz said of the killing of Hortman and her husband. “Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service. She was a formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota.”
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In a separate attack carried out by the same person, Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times. They received surgery on account of their injuries and are now under observation in hospital. During the initial press conference on Saturday morning, Walz had said he was “cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt.”
“Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint,” Walz said. "This tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us that democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in state houses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place."
Walz went on to say that those responsible "will be held accountable."
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The FBI has put suspect Boelter on its "Most Wanted" list. Alvin M Winston Sr, the FBI Minneapolis special agent in charge,urged the publicto come forward with any information and said that no detail is too small.
At around 2 a.m., local time, on Saturday morning, police responded to a 911 call in Champlin, Minn. Police attended the home of state Sen. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, and found they had both been shot. Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said that life-saving measures were provided for both individuals, and they have since received surgeries for their injuries at a local hospital.
Around an hour-and-a-half later, Brooklyn Park Police, less than 10 miles away from Champlin, performed a proactive check-up on state Rep. Hortman. At the scene, they found a man impersonating a police officer, with a fake police vehicle.
“[Officers on the scene] noticed that there was a ‘police’ vehicle in the driveway with the emergency lights on, and what appeared to be a police officer at the door coming out of the house,” said Brooklyn Park Police chief Mark Bruley. “When our officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home.”
After the suspect retreated, the police “went up to the threshold” of the home to find Hortman’s husband on the ground, where he had been “clearly struck by gunfire.” Though the officers attempted to remove him from the home to safety, he was pronounced dead shortly after. It was once the officers received additional resources and teams that they could surround the home and utilize a drone to identify Hortman herself inside the house.
They believe the suspect fled out of the back door of the home.
By 5.30 a.m., local time, police had issued a“shelter-in-place”alert, telling anyone within a three-mile radius to stay in their homes.
At around 6 a.m., the suspect stopped by a home near 49th and Fremont in Minneapolis, where residents say he had rented a room. Security cameras captured footage of Boelter wearing casual clothing and a cowboy hat.
Outside the Hortman residence, the investigating team searched the fake police vehicle, an SUV, and found a "manifesto," which named a number of local lawmakers—two of which were Hoffman and Hortman.
“We immediately made alerts to the state, who took action on alerting them [the others] and providing security where necessary,” Bruley said. This action was confirmed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said he was working with the authorities to protect other lawmakers.
Superintendent Evans said that investigators also found "No Kings" posters inside the SUV. As a result, the Minnesota State Patrol urged residents not to attend Saturday's "No Kings" protests across the state.
“Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today’s planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution,”a statement read.
Minnesota organizers canceled their "No Kings" protests. However, despite this, there werereports that large crowds gathered at the protests.
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Tributes to Hortman have poured in, with her peers honoring the impact she had on Minnesota politics.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchartook to social mediato remember her “good friend.”
“I am heartbroken and horrified by the tragic loss of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were taken from us in an act of violence,” Klobuchar said. “She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion. Melissa’s legacy will endure, but today we grieve deeply.”
Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords—who herself was the victim of an attempted assassination in 2011, mourned Hortman and her husband, saying she was “devastated” by the news.
“My family and I know the horror of a targeted shooting all too well. An attack against lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself,”Giffords said. “Leaders must speak out and condemn the fomenting violent extremism that threatens everything this country stands for.”
Former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called the shootings “a shocking and abhorrent manifestation of political violence in our country.”
“Unfortunately, we know the tragedy of when political violence hits home very well,”Pelosi said, referencing the 2022 attack on her husband, Paul. “All of us must remember that it’s not only the act of violence, but also the reaction to it, that can normalize it. This climate of politically-motivated violence must end.”
President DonaldTrump also shared his condolences.
“I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers. Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi and the FBI are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law,” Trump said, in a statement shared by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!"
The targeted attacks in Minnesota occur at a time during which politically-motivated violence in the U.S. has been steadily on the rise—including the high-profile2024 assassination attempt of President Donald Trumpand the 2020 planned kidnapping of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
