US police hunt suspect in deadly shooting of Democratic Minnesota state lawmakers
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MINNEAPOLIS/WASHINGTON – A gunman posing as a police officer killed a senior Democratic state assemblywoman and her husband on June 14 in an apparent “politically motivated assassination”, and wounded a second lawmaker and his spouse, said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and law enforcement officials.
A major search backed by the FBI was underway for the suspect, who fled on foot after firing at police and abandoning a vehicle in which officers found a “manifesto” and a list of other legislators and officials, law enforcement officials said.
The suspect was identified as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans told a news briefing.
Mr Boelter should be considered “armed and dangerous” and is believed to still be in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Mr Evans said, adding that it was too soon to determine a motive.
The suspect had links to evangelical ministries and claimed to be a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa, according to his online postings and public records reviewed by Reuters. Mr Boelter also described himself online as a former employee of food service companies.
Mr Evans said investigators were aware of similar reports of his connections and would be exploring them.
The list found in the abandoned vehicle that looked similar to a police SUV contained about 70 names, including abortion providers, and lawmakers in Minnesota and other states, CNN reported, citing law enforcement sources.
ABC News, also citing law enforcement officials, said the list included dozens of Minnesota Democrats including Mr Walz, US Representative Ilhan Omar, Senator Tina Smith and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
The killings of Mrs Melissa Hortman, a former assembly speaker and her husband, Mark, prompted reactions of shock and horror from Republican and Democratic politicians across the country and calls for dialing back increasingly divisive political rhetoric.
The shootings come on the heels of a heated hearing in Congress on June 12 in which Mr Walz and two other Democratic governors defended their states’ policies to maintain sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, drawing attacks from Republicans who support Mr Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Investigators have identified the suspected shooter and believe that he is within 5km of the shooting site because he fled on foot, a person familiar with the matter said.
He is named in US media reports as 57-year-old Vance Boelter.
Vance Luther Boelter is wanted for questioning by police in connection to the targeted killing of Democratic state assemblywoman Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
The person added that the FBI and state law enforcement aircraft are on standby to join in the search for the shooter.
“There’s no doubt he’s gonna be caught, the scariest thing is what happens when he gets cornered,” the person said.
“Not only to himself, but to anybody else in the place he’s hiding and of course the law-enforcement professionals that have to deal with him.”
Minnesota State Patrol chief Christina Bogojevic told reporters that police found flyers in the suspect’s vehicle with “No Kings” printed on them, but said police had no direct links to the nationwide “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump’s policies taking place on June 14.
The organising No Kings Coalition announced they cancelled all protests in Minnesota given a shelter-in-place order and that the suspect was still at large and impersonating a police officer.
Mr Trump said he was briefed on the “terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers.”
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!” Mr Trump said, in a statement.
Police impersonator
Mrs Hortman and her husband were shot dead in their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, Mr Walz said.
The Minneapolis suburb is located in the northern part of Hennepin County, a Democratic stronghold.
Mrs Hortman’s official website says she and her husband have two children.
Mr Walz said that the gunman went to the Hortmans’ residence after shooting Senator John Hoffman and his wife multiple times in their home in the nearby town of Champlin.
They underwent surgery, Mr Walz said, adding that he was “cautiously optimistic” that they would survive “this assassination attempt.”
“This was an act of targeted political violence,” he said.
“Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.”
A vehicle believed to belong the suspected gunman - identified in US media reports as 57-year-old Vance Boelter - is towed away from the home of victim Melissa Hortman in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on June 14.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Law enforcement officials said the gunman attacked the Hoffmans at around 2am CDT (3pm in Singapore) and then drove about 8km to the Hortmans’ residence.
Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley said that a “very intuitive” police sergeant who responded to the Hoffman attack asked colleagues to “proactively” check the Hortmans’ residence.
The two officers arriving at the Hortmans’ residence saw what appeared to be a police vehicle parked in the driveway with its emergency lights on and an individual dressed and equipped as a police officer leaving the home, he said.
The suspect “immediately fired upon the officers, who exchanged gunfire and the suspect retreated back into the home,” Chief Bruley continued.
The suspect, who was wearing a vest with a taser, other police equipment and a badge, is believed to have fled from the rear of the home, he said.
The Hortmans and Hoffmans were on the list of names found in the suspect’s car, officials said.
A police officer conducting a traffic stop in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on June 14.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Political violence surge
The pre-dawn Minnesota killings come amid a surge in US political attacks in recent years, underscoring the dark side of the nation’s deepening political divisions.
These include the attempted 2020 kidnapping set it on fire.
In July 2024, then-candidate Mr Trump escaped an assassination attempt
On June 14, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement that it identified a “credible threat towards state lawmakers planning to attend a protest later today,” in Austin, and ordered an evacuation of the state capitol and its grounds.
It was not immediately clear if there was any link to Minnesota.
Mr Trump has faced criticism from some opponents over his handling of incidents involving political violence.
In one of his first moves in office earlier this year, Mr Trump pardoned nearly everyone criminally charged with participating in the Jan 6, 2021, Capitol attack, a move critics said signalled support for the rioters.
“The incendiary rhetoric, hate, and violence must stop,” Republican Representative Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania said on X, calling it a “tragic, ruthless, cold-blooded shooting of innocent public servants in Minnesota.”
House of Representatives Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called for elected officials to “conduct themselves responsibly” and said he asked the House Sergeant at Arms and the US Capitol Police to ensure the safety of Minnesota’s delegation and other members of Congress.
The bipartisan Minnesota delegation released a joint statement saying, “Today, we speak with one voice to express our outrage, grief, and condemnation of this horrible attack on public servants.
“There is no place in our democracy for politically-motivated violence.” REUTERS
