Police find vehicle of suspect who shot two Minnesota lawmakers as manhunt continues

MINNEAPOLIS - Police were conducting a massive manhunt in Minnesota on June 15 for the gunman who killed a Democratic state lawmaker while posing as a police officer, a crime that Governor Tim Walz characterised as a “politically motivated assassination.”

The suspect, whom the police identified as Vance Luther Boelter, 57, fled on foot when officers confronted him at the Brooklyn Park home of state representative Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, who were both killed.

The gunman earlier had shot and wounded another Democratic lawmaker, state Senator John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette at their home nearby, the authorities said.

Minnesota US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, said on NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker on June 15 morning that investigators believe Boelter is still in the region.

The authorities in Sibley County, about an hour by car southwest of Minneapolis, issued an alert on June 15 saying they had found the suspect’s car in Faxon Township and instructing residents to keep their doors and cars locked, the county sheriff’s office confirmed. Officers were searching residences in the area.

The location of the car is about 6.4km east of Boelter’s listed home address in Green Isle, also in Sibley County, which was searched by law enforcement officers on June 14.

The gunman had left behind a vehicle outside Mrs Hortman’s house in suburban Minneapolis that resembled a police SUV, including flashing lights, and contained a “manifesto” and a target list of other politicians and institutions, officials said.

The authorities have not publicly identified a specific motive as at the evening of June 14.

Boelter has links to evangelical ministries and claimed to be a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa, according to online postings and public records reviewed by Reuters.

The Minnesota Star Tribune, citing law enforcement officials, reported the target list included abortion providers and several dozen Minnesota Democrats, including Mr Walz, who was also the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in 2024, and Ms Klobuchar, a 2020 presidential candidate.

“There clearly was some through line with abortion, because of the groups that were on the list and other things that I’ve heard were in this manifesto. So that was one of his motivations,” Ms Klobuchar said.

The killing was the latest in a series of high-profile episodes of political violence, including the attack on former Democratic US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in 2022, the attempted assassination of Mr Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign and an arson attack at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s house in April.

Gunman posed as officer

Mr Damon Voight, who lives down the road from Boelter’s house in a rural area of Green Isle, Minnesota, said his wife was afraid with the suspect on the loose.

“My wife is freaked out,” Mr Voight said. “She’s like, ‘We’ve got guns in the house, right?’”

The city of Champlin, home to the Hoffmans, said it shut down its annual Father Hennepin festival for the weekend, which included live music and a carnival.

Outside the state capitol in St. Paul, a small memorial had taken shape, with flowers, American flags and handwritten messages on yellow post-it notes.

“Justice for Melissa,” read one note, with a drawing of a heart on it.

Ms Klobuchar said she had seen both Mrs Hortman and Mr Hoffman at a political dinner on June 13, just hours before they were shot.

“We started out together in politics, moms with young kids, and somehow she was able to balance getting to know every door, knock on every house in her district, while raising two children - Girl Scout leader, she taught Sunday school,” the US senator said of Mrs Hortman, 55.

Ms Klobuchar said the Hoffmans were “hanging in there” after undergoing surgery for multiple gunshot wounds. The Star Tribune reported the two are awake and recovering.

The attacks started around 2am on June 14 (3pm on June 15 in Singapore), when the authorities said the gunman shot the Hoffmans in their home in Champlin before driving several kilometres to Mrs Hortman’s home in Brooklyn Park.

The FBI released photos of the suspect wearing a rubber mask and a police-like uniform.

Mr David Carlson, 59, told Reuters he has shared a house in Minneapolis with Boelter for more than a year and last saw him on the night of June 13. He said he received a disturbing text from Boelter at about 6am on June 14.

“He said that he might be dead soon,” said Mr Carlson, who called police.

Mr Trump has faced criticism from some opponents for using inflammatory rhetoric at times when talking about his political rivals.

In one of his first moves in office earlier in 2025, Mr Trump pardoned nearly everyone criminally charged with participating in the Jan 6, 2021, Capitol attack. REUTERS