Vance Boelter has been charged in the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses, and the FBI says that he visited the homes of multiple other elected officials the night he killed Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and wounded Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his wife separately.
Boelter, 57, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, according to the criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County Court on Saturday.
He was taken into custody on Sunday night near his Sibley County home following a manhunt that lasted over 36 hours.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said during a press conference Monday morning the office intends to pursue first-degree murder charges against Boelter. The sentence, if he is convicted, is life without parole.
The second-degree murder charges — the highest level that can be filed via complaint — were brought forward late Saturday in order to obtain a nationwide arrest warrant, Moriarty said.
“I want to assure our community and all those who are grieving that we will seek justice and accountability for the victims of these heinous crimes,” Moriarty said.
She added that the most senior prosecutors in her office would handle the case, which is still in its early stages.
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“It is a frightening time we are living in. Political violence is prevalent. And the way we talk to and about each other has raised the temperature to unfathomable levels. We cannot continue on this way. In times of tragedy and also every day, as we navigate our daily lives, we need to find ways to support one another,” Moriarty said.
Superintendent Drew Evans with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension added that if officials learn that anyone else participated in the crimes or worked to aid Boelter in any way, prosecutors would look to bring charges against those individuals as well.
Criminal complaint details
Police officers responded to a shooting at a home in Champlin, Minnesota, around 2:05 a.m. on Saturday, according to charges. The 911 caller reported a masked person, later identified by officials as Boelter, had come to their door and then shot their parents.
Responding officers found that state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette had been shot. Yvette Hoffman says her husband was shot nine times and she was shot eight times.
Surveillance video outside the Hoffmans’ home showed a Ford SUV with “police-style lights” parked in the driveway. Charges say Boelter, wearing a mask, blue shirt and police-style tactical vest with a badge and yellow-gripped gun, knocked on their door and announced himself as a police officer before entering the home and shooting John and Yvette Hoffman.
Charges say the Brooklyn Park Police Department learned of the Champlin shooting and proactively sent patrol officers to the home of another state legislator, later identified as state Rep. Melissa Hortman.
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Officers arrived at the house around 3:35 a.m. and saw Boelter shoot a man, later identified as Melissa Hortman’s husband, Mark Hortman, through a doorway, the complaint said. Police exchanged gunfire with Boelter, who went inside the house and then escaped the area.
Police found Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman dead inside their home.
Charges say officers searched the SUV and found at least three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm handgun and a list of names and addresses of other public officials.
While searching the area, police found a ballistic vest, a disassembled 9mm handgun, a mask and a gold police-style badge. The criminal complaint says Boelter is the listed purchaser for at least four of the guns taken by police.
A person familiar with Boelter identified him to police as the man in the surveillance video.
Boelter is due in court for separate appearances on state and federal charges Monday afternoon.
Suspect went to other lawmakers’ homes
The FBI revealed during a separate conference Monday morning that Boelter had gone to the homes of two other Minnesota lawmakers the night he killed Hortman and her husband and injured the Hoffmans.
After the shooting at the Hoffmans’ home, Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson says Boelter went to a state representative’s home in Maple Grove. However, that lawmaker had been on vacation and was not home at the time.
Boelter then allegedly moved on to the home of a state senator in New Hope. After learning about the shooting of the Hoffmans in Champlin, a New Hope police officer went to the senator’s home to do a wellness check. The officer arrived to find what appeared to be another officer’s squad car, later identified as Boelter’s vehicle, parked outside the home. The officer tried to engage in conversation with Boelter, but he did not respond. By the time more officers arrived, Boelter was gone.
Thompson says Boelter then went to the Hortmans’ home in Brooklyn Park. Upon arrival, police officers saw Boelter several feet from the door. He instantly drew his weapon and began firing at the officers before he rushed inside the house, firing at the front door. He then shot and killed the Hortmans.
Federal investigators allege Boelter stalked his targets and planned his attacks carefully, researching the victims and their families as well as conducting surveillance on them “for an extensive period of time.”
Boelter is facing six charges in federal court, including stalking and murder.
