Man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers charged with murder after surrendering to police

BELLE PLAINE Minn AP The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another crawled to officers in order to surrender Sunday after they determined him in the woods near his home bringing an end to a massive nearly two-day search that put the entire state on edge Vance Boelter was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder Jail records show he was scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon Boelter is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs Personnel say he also shot Sen John Hoffman a Democrat and his wife Yvette They were injured at their residence about miles about kilometers away One man s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota Democratic Gov Tim Walz noted at a news conference after Boelter s arrest The search for Boelter was the largest manhunt in the state s history Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley noted It began when Brooklyn Park officers went to check on Hortman s home and saw her husband gunned down before the shooter fled Administration on Sunday spotted a motorcycle Boelter had been using abandoned in rural Sibley County where he lived and a police officer communicated that he inferred he saw Boelter running into the woods Bruley explained Police called in different tactical teams divvying up the area and searching for him During the search police announced they endorsed someone was in the woods and searched for hours using a helicopter and officers on foot until they ascertained Boelter He gave himself up to police crawling out to officers in the woods before he was handcuffed and taken into custody in a field leadership reported Jail records show Boelter was booked into the Hennepin County Jail early Monday and included two mug shots of Boelter wearing an orange prison shirt A targeted attack Drew Evans superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension declared the violence likely would ve continued had Brooklyn Park officers not checked on Hortman s home causing Boelter to flee The Hoffmans were attacked first at their home in Champlin early Saturday A criminal complaint unsealed after Boelter s arrest indicated their adult daughter called to say a masked person had come to the door and shot her parents After police in nearby Brooklyn Park learned that a lawmaker had been shot they sent patrol officers to check on the Hortmans home Brooklyn Park police officers arrived just in time to see Boelter shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home and exchanged gunfire with Boelter who fled into the home before escaping the complaint noted Melissa Hortman was discovered dead inside according to the document Government announced Boelter posed as a police officer even allegedly altering a car to make it look like a police car A Minnesota lawmaker stated that Hortman s dog had to be euthanized after being shot in the attack Her children had to put down him after learning their parents had been murdered Rep Erin Koegel posted on the social media platform X Gilbert wasn t going to survive Melissa loved that dog She trained him as a utility dog He flunked out of school and she was so happy he failed so he could stay No details on motive Officials did not give a motive for the shootings as they communicated Boelter s arrest A list of about names was determined in writings recovered from the fake police bicycle at the crime scene reported two law enforcement personnel who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing inquiry The writings and list of names included prominent state and federal lawmakers and public leaders along with abortion rights advocates and information about healthcare care facilities according to the officers A Minnesota official explained AP lawmakers who had been outspoken in favor of abortion rights were on the list The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the research was ongoing Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce rise board as Hoffman records show though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other Just hours after the shootings Boelter texted friends to apologize for his actions though he didn t say what he had done I m going to be gone for a while May be dead shortly so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn t gone this way he wrote in messages viewed by the AP An escalation in political violence The shootings come as political leaders nationwide have been attacked harassed and intimidated amid deep political divisions Lawmakers noted they were disturbed by the attacks as Twin Cities residents mourned On Sunday U S Sen Amy Klobuchar shared a declaration from Yvette Hoffman expressing appreciation for the outpouring of community endorsement John is enduring a multitude of surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods Yvette Hoffman commented in a text that Klobuchar posted on social media He took bullet hits I took and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark Brightly colored flowers and small American flags were placed Sunday on the gray marbled stone of the Minnesota State Capitol along with a photo of the Hortmans Pam Stein came with flowers and knelt by the memorial An emotional Stein called Hortman an absolute powerhouse and the real unsung hero of Minnesota administration