Newsman: The suspect accused of fatally shooting a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another has been charged with multiple counts of murder after authorities took him into custody, authorities said.
Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was arrested Sunday night in rural Sibley County, about 50 miles away from Minneapolis, after he surrendered to law enforcement in a wooded area near his home.
Boelter is accused of launching what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination.” Police say he posed as a law enforcement officer on June 14 and fatally shot state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home in Brooklyn Park. He also shot and wounded State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home.
After a two-day manhunt that put the entire state on edge, Boelter was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin USA TODAY reports. A court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. local time, jail records say.
Brooklyn Park police Chief Mark Bruley said at a news conference that the search for Boelter was the largest manhunt in state history.
“This was a very dangerous individual for our community and that’s why so many resources and such a great collaboration came together to focus on removing him from society,” Bruley said, adding that focus has now turned to putting together a case against Boelter.
Authorities on June 15 discovered a vehicle belonging to Boelter near where he lived in Sibley County. A law enforcement officer reported he believed he saw Boelter running in the woods. Police later received another tip that a man was seen running in the area.
Authorities set up a large perimeter and over 20 SWAT teams began searching on the ground and by helicopter.
Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol said Boelter eventually crawled out to law enforcement and was arrested. He was armed but no shots were fired, Geiger said.
Complaint reveals new info about lawmaker shootings in Minnesota
Just after 2 a.m. on Saturday, June 14, police received a call from Hoffman’s adult daughter reporting that “a masked person had come to their door and then shot their parents,” according to the Hennepin County complaint.
Law enforcement arrived at the home in Champlin, about 20 miles outside Minneapolis, and discovered Jeff and Yvette Hoffman with multiple gunshot wounds.
After learning that the Champlin shooting involved a lawmaker, the Brooklyn Park Police Department proactively sent patrol officers to the Hortmans’ home around 3:30 a.m.
There officers saw a Ford SUV with police-style lights. They then spotted Boelter as he shot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home, the complaint said. Police opened fire and Boelter shot back before he fled out the rear of the home into a wooded area.
Inside the vehicle, investigators found three AK-47 rifles, a handgun as well as a list of names and addresses of other public officials, according to the authorities.
