(CNN) — A Minnesota man was indicted Tuesday on federal charges related to the killing of a state lawmaker and her spouse, and seriously injuring another state lawmaker and his wife.
Vance Boelter is accused of killing former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and seriously injuring Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife last month.
He faces six charges including stalking, murder and firearms offenses – with at least two of those charges carrying the possibility of the death penalty, Acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson said during a news conference Tuesday. The final decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be up to US Attorney General Pam Bondi.
CNN has reached out to Boelter’s attorney for comment.
Boelter also “shot at and attempted to kill” the Hoffmans’ daughter, Thompson said.
“Both John and Yvette acted with incredible bravery to put themselves between Boelter’s bullets and their daughter, miraculously, Hope Hoffman was not shot,” he added.
Authorities have also recovered both of the guns used that day in the incident, Thompson said.
They also found a handwritten letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel inside a car Boelter abandoned in Green Isle, Minnesota, before his capture, Thompson said.
In the letter, he said, Boelter confesses to shooting the Hoffmans and Hortmans among other claims.
Boelter wrote he was trained by the US military off the books and conducted missions on their behalf in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Boelter also claimed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wanted him to kill Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. He wanted nothing to do with the plan, he wrote, and would go public with governor’s request.
The shootings
Authorities say Boelter was heavily armed and dressed in tactical armor with a silicone mask hiding his face and a police-style badge during the incidents – appearing as a police officer. A real police officer mistook him for a fellow cop.
Boelter “embarked on a planned campaign of stalking and violence, designed to inflict fear, injure, and kill members of the Minnesota state legislature and their families,” according to an affidavit.
Authorities say the attacks were highly planned. Boelter possibly spent months gathering personal information about his targets and other officials, and buying supplies for his attack, they said.
The victims
Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman was more than just the state House’s top Democrat, according to those who knew her.
She “was a bright shining light of a human being,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who went to law school with Hortman, said in a post on X. Hortman was also a “formidable public servant,” Walz said.
Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman – who was shot nine times – has since been released from a hospital intensive care unit and moved into a rehabilitation facility to continue his recovery from the politically-motivated attack in June, a family spokesperson told CNN earlier this month.
Though the family acknowledges that Hoffman “still has a long recovery ahead,” spokesperson Bess Ellenson shared a photo showing the senator looking upbeat, smiling, and flashing a thumbs up as he stands in front of a hospital room door with a rolling suitcase.
Hoffman’s wife, Yvette who was shot eight times, was released from the hospital on June 19, CNN affiliate KARE reported.
In a statement Tuesday, John and Yvette Hoffman’s daughter, Hope, said she was relieved to hear Boelter would be held responsible.
“Though I was not shot physically, I will now forever coexist with the PTSD of watching my parents be nearly shot dead in front of me and seeing my life flash before my eyes with a gun in my face,” she said. “My parents pushed me out of the way that night. I was pretty bruised up from getting hurled against our washer, and I’m glad I was. How I didn’t get grazed is nothing short of dumb luck.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
