Accused in fatal Minnesota shooting went to homes of 2 other lawmakers

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 3:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The antheral accused of sidesplitting a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding different went to the homes of 2 different legislators connected the nighttime of the shootings, intending to inflict much carnage against those connected his deed list, a national authoritative said Monday.

But 1 of the different lawmakers was connected abrogation and the accused near the different location aft constabulary arrived aboriginal Saturday, acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said astatine a property conference.

Vance Boelter meticulously planned retired the attacks, carrying retired surveillance missions, taking notes connected the homes and radical helium targeted and disguising himself arsenic a constabulary serviceman connected the nighttime of the attacks, Thompson said. 

"It is nary exaggeration to accidental that his crimes are the worldly of nightmares," helium said.

Boelter surrendered to constabulary Sunday aft they recovered him successful the woods adjacent his location pursuing a monolithic manhunt implicit astir 2 days that began adjacent Minneapolis. He is accused of posing arsenic an serviceman and fatally shooting erstwhile U.S. Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, successful their location aboriginal Saturday successful the bluish Minneapolis suburbs. 

Authorities accidental helium besides changeable Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, who lived conscionable a fewer kilometres away.

Federal prosecutors announced Monday that they person charged Boelter, 57, with national murder, stalking offences. He already faces authorities charges, including execution and attempted murder.

Boelter had galore notebooks afloat of plans and made efforts to find the addresses of his victims and their household members, Thompson said. But authorities person not recovered immoderate writings that would "clearly place what motivated him," helium said. Though the targets were Democrats and elected officials, Thompson said it was excessively soon to speculate connected immoderate benignant of governmental ideology that could explicate his motives.

Authorities declined to sanction the 2 different elected officials whom Boelter allegedly stalked but who escaped harm. But they said it was wide the shootings were politically motivated.

"This was a targeted onslaught against individuals who answered the telephone to nationalist service," said Alvin Winston, the peculiar cause successful complaint of the FBI's Minneapolis tract office. The resulting search, helium said, was the largest hunt for a fishy successful the past of the state.

Boelter's woman consented to a hunt of her telephone by instrumentality enforcement, according to an FBI affidavit that cites from a substance Boelter sent to a household radical chat: "Dad went to warfare past nighttime ... I don't wanna accidental much due to the fact that I don't wanna implicate anybody."

His woman got different substance that said: "Words are not gonna explicate however atrocious I americium for this concern ... there's gonna beryllium immoderate radical coming to the location equipped and trigger-happy, and I don't privation you guys around," the affidavit said. 

Suspect caught successful Minnesota woods adjacent his home

At 1 point, Boelter bought an physics motorcycle and a Buick sedan from idiosyncratic helium met astatine a autobus halt successful northbound Minneapolis, the national affidavit said. Police recovered the sedan abandoned connected a road Sunday morning.

In the car, instrumentality enforcement recovered a cowboy chapeau Boelter had been seen wearing successful surveillance footage arsenic good arsenic a missive written to the FBI, authorities said. The missive said it was written by "Dr. Vance Luther Boulter" and said helium was "the shooter astatine ample successful Minnesota progressive successful the 2 shootings."

The car was recovered successful agrarian Sibley County, wherever Boelter lived, and a constabulary serviceman reported that helium believed helium saw Boelter moving into the woods. Police called successful 20 antithetic tactical teams, divvying up the country to search. 

During the search, constabulary said they confirmed idiosyncratic was successful the woods and searched for hours, utilizing a chopper and officers connected foot, until they recovered Boelter. He gave himself up to police, crawling retired to officers earlier helium was handcuffed and taken into custody successful a field, authorities said.

Jail records amusement Boelter was booked into the Hennepin County Jail aboriginal Monday.