CHAMPLIN, Minn. — After a two-day manhunt, the suspect in a violent shooting spree that targeted Minnesota lawmakers and left two people dead is in custody.
Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, continue to recover at Mercy Hospital after being shot at their Champlin home early Saturday morning. Yvette later told Senator Amy Klobuchar that she was shot eight times and John nine times.
The couple was allegedly targeted by 57-year-old Vance Boelter, who is also accused of fatally shooting Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, hours later in Brooklyn Park.
Authorities say Boelter impersonated a police officer, arriving at both homes in a vehicle equipped with police-style lights. In Champlin, he shot the Hoffmans after knocking on their door. Brooklyn Park police, acting on Hoffman’s lawmaker status, had proactively gone to the Hortman home. When they arrived around 3:35 a.m., they witnessed Boelter fatally shoot Mark Hortman through an open door. Melissa and Mark were later found deceased inside.
Investigators recovered multiple weapons from Boelter’s vehicle, including three AK-47-style rifles, a 9mm handgun, a ballistic vest, a police-style badge, and a list of public officials’ names and addresses. Surveillance footage and witness identification further tied Boelter to the attacks.
An intensive manhunt ended Sunday night in Sibley County after a resident reported a trail camera image resembling Boelter. Law enforcement deployed drones and more than 20 SWAT teams across a wide area. Boelter surrendered without incident.
“There’s no question that this is the largest manhunt in the state’s history,” said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley. “There was 20 different SWAT teams over an extremely large area hunting this individual down to take him into custody.”
Boelter faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder. According to the Hennepin County Jail roster, he has a court appearance at 1:30 p.m. Monday in Minneapolis and is being held on a $5 million bail.
