Suspect Arrested & Charged After Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman & Husband Killed & Senator John Hoffman & Wife Shot
A man has been arrested in the shooting deaths of Democratic Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
Vance Boelter has been arrested, according to the Associated Press.
The 57-year-old suspect, who also allegedly shot Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, both of whom survived, was arrested Sunday night (June 15) after a nearly two-day search, Governor Tim Walz and law enforcement officials confirmed in a press conference.
He allegedly impersonated a law enforcement officer during the shootings and went to their homes in an act that has been characterized as political violence by the governor.
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“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” Waltz said in the press conference. “This cannot be the norm. This cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences.”
Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, shared that the suspect was arrested earlier in the evening after receiving information that he was seen in the area, adding: “He was taken into custody under a state criminal warrant. He is charged, at this time, with the murders of Speaker Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, also with the shootings of John Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman for those crimes.”
The suspect was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, per Reuters.
The superintendent added that they are in contact with the FBI and the United States Attorney’s office, to decide “if additional charges should be brought at the federal level.” He shared that there was no force, but the suspect was “armed” at the time of his arrest, which took place in a field.
“We are relatively confident. We are confident that the violence that he committed and the murders he committed, and the attempted murders, that he conducted that activity alone,” he added. “We will be exploring if there are any broader network. We have not encountered that at this time.”
The shootings took place early on the morning of Saturday (June 14).
David Carlson, the suspect’s roommate, told reporters that Vance sent him, as well as another individual, text messages that morning reading: “I love you guys. I’ve made some choices, and you guys don’t know anything about this, but I’m going to be gone for a while. I may be dead shortly.”
“So I just want to let you know that I love you guys both, and wish it hadn’t gone this way. I don’t want to say anything more and implicate you in any way, because you guys don’t know anything about this. But I love you guys, and I’m sorry for all the trouble this has caused.”
During a June 14 press conference, police also revealed that they had discovered a “manifesto” featuring a “list of names” inside a vehicle that they believe the suspect had been driving, which “looked exactly like an SUV squad car,” equipped with emergency lights that made it look “exactly like a police vehicle.”
“I will tell you, when we did a search of the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials,” Chief Bruley said during the press conference. “We immediately made alerts to the state, who took action. Alerting them and providing security where necessary.”