The man accused of the murders of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband in what prosecutors said was a “political assassination” could face the death penalty if he’s convicted on federal charges for shootings that unfolded over 90 minutes early Saturday morning in the Minneapolis suburbs.
Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was arrested Sunday night after an intense manhunt and faces both state and federal murder charges, including multiple counts of murder and stalking. While Minnesota abolished the death penalty over a century ago, the federal murder charges carry a maximum penalty of capital punishment.
Early Saturday, Boelter went to the home of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman, shooting him and his wife, Yvette, disguised as a law enforcement officer and wearing a silicone mask covering his head and face, prosecutors said. He then traveled to two other unnamed lawmakers’ homes. Finally, he entered the home of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and killed her and her husband, Mark, a federal affidavit said.
Authorities said Boelter used the law enforcement ruse to manipulate his way into the homes, and had a list of dozens of Minnesota lawmakers and federal officials and their addresses, “mostly or all Democrats,” according to the affidavit.
“Boelter’s unthinkable actions ended the life of someone who shaped the core of who we are as a state,” Gov. Tim Walz said. “We must now move forward in Melissa’s honor with understanding, service, and above all, a sense of one another’s humanity.”
Here’s what we know about the shootings:
Trump’s response to Minnesota shootings: President bashes governor
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he doesn’t plan to call Minnesota Walz, who was the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, in the wake of the shootings of the two lawmakers and their spouses.
“I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I’m not calling him. Why would I call him?” Trump told reporters on Tuesday on Air Force One, returning from a meeting of G7 leaders.
“The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”
Trump has previously commented on the shootings, calling them “absolutely terrible.” In a statement on Saturday, he said the acts of violence “will not be tolerated in the United States of America.”
“God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!” Trump said.
Vance Boelter federal complaint details shooting timeline
The shootings unfolded in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 14. At about 2:06 a.m. local time, authorities were alerted to a shooting at the Hoffman home in Champlin when the couple’s adult daughter called 911 to report that her parents had been shot, FBI Special Agent Terry Getsch wrote in the federal affidavit.
Video footage from the home shows that the suspect, dressed to look like a police officer and wearing the “realistic” silicone mask, knocked on the door and shouted “This is the police. Open the door,” the affidavit said. Hoffman and his wife both came to the door and Boelter told them he was responding to a shooting. After the couple realized he wasn’t a real police officer, Hoffman tried to push Boelter back through the door. Boelter is accused of shooting him repeatedly before turning his gun on Yvette Hoffman, the affidavit said.
At about 2:24 a.m., Boelter arrived at an unnamed lawmaker’s home in Maple Grove, about 10 miles away from the Hoffman house. He rang the doorbell and said “This is the police. Open the door. This is the police. We have a warrant,” according to the affidavit. The lawmaker was not home, and Boelter left.
About 12 minutes later, police in nearby New Hope spotted an SUV that looked like a police vehicle with lights parked down the street from another unnamed Minnesota lawmaker’s home. The New Hope police were there to check on the official after learning of the Champlin shooting. A New Hope officer “believed that the SUV, which resembled a squad car and was equipped with a police-style light bar, was in fact a law enforcement officer providing protection for Public Official 2,” the affidavit said.
The officer tried to speak with the man in the SUV, now believed to be Boelter, but he did not respond. The officer drove to the lawmaker’s home, saw there were “no signs of distress” and waited for other law enforcement to arrive, according to the affidavit. By the time they did, Boelter was gone.
Finally, at about 3:30 a.m., Brooklyn Park police officers went to the Hortman home to check on the representative. They saw what looked like a police SUV with lights flashing outside. They then saw Boelter in his disguise facing the front door, according to the affidavit. The suspect fired at them and they returned fire. He then entered the home, where more gunshots were heard. He is then believed to have fled on foot out a back door, officials have said. The Hortmans were found shot and their dog gravely injured. Melissa and Mark Hortman were later pronounced dead.
Vance Boelter family receives texts after shootings
Authorities searched the phone of Boelter’s wife, and found a text at 6:18 a.m. sent by Boelter in a group chat with his wife and children.
“Dad went to war last night … I dont wanna say more because I dont wanna implicate anybody,” the text read, according to the affidavit.
His wife received a separate message from Boelter: “Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation … there’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around.”
Hoffmans speak out after being shot repeatedly
Mark and Yvette Hoffman both underwent surgery and were expected to recover, officials said after the shooting. Yvette Hoffman said in a statement shared by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who represents Minnesota, that her family is “humbled” by the support they have received.
“John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods,” Yvette Hoffman said in the statement, shared the evening of June 15.
John Hoffman was shot nine times and Yvette Hoffman was shot eight times, she said, adding that “we are both incredibly lucky to be alive.”
“We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark,” Yvette Hoffman said.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Melina Khan and Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disturbing details continue to emerge in Minnesota lawmaker shootings
