A massive search was rampant on the second day for a man who said that authorities became police officers and fatally shot a Democrat state legislator in a home outside Minneapolis. Authorities said the suspect was also injured by shooting a second lawmaker and trying to escape from the area.
Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed at their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday. Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife Yvette, were injured at a shampooing address about nine miles away.
Authorities identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boerter, and the FBI issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to arrest and conviction. They shared photos of Boerter on Saturday wearing a sour cowboy hat and asked the public to report their sightings. Hundreds of law enforcement officers were flaring violently in search of suspects.
Authorities had not provided details about possible motivations as of Saturday night.
File: Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman (Abby Per/AP) in 2023
Records show that Belter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development committee as Hoffman, but it was not clear whether or how well they knew each other.
The attack urged other state elected officials to warn them and cancelled planned “no-Kings” demonstrations against President Donald Trump, but some moved on anyway. Authorities said the suspect had a “king” flyer in his car and had a work that referenced the names of the victims and other lawmakers and officials.
A Minnesota official told the Associated Press that the suspect’s writings also include information targeting well-known lawmakers who have been frankly mentioned in support of abortion rights. The official spoke about the state of anonymity as the investigation was ongoing.
Law enforcement agents recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect’s vehicle, and it was believed he was still armed with a pistol. The person was unable to publicly discuss the details of the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The shooting comes when political leaders across the country were attacked, harassed and blackmailed amid deep political divisions.
“We all have to oppose all forms of political violence in Minnesota and across the country,” Democrat Waltz said. He also ordered the flag to fly with half staff in Hortman’s honor.
“This kind of horrifying violence is not tolerated in the United States. God blesses the great people of Minnesota, a truly wonderful place!” President Donald Trump said in a statement.
Safety officials provided an update to Manhunt, the man who shot Minnesota Senators in the two homes early Saturday, killing state lawmakers and speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband.
Replacing a gunshot
Police responded to reports of the shooting at Hoffmans’ home shortly after 2am, Shamplin police said, and found the couple with multiple gunshot wounds.
After seeing who the victim was, police dispatched officers to actively check out Hortman’s home. There they encountered what appeared to be the man dressed to the police vehicle and the policeman on the door and left the house.
“As the officers stood up to him, the individual immediately fired a fire at the officer who had engaged in the firefight, and the suspect returned home and retreated,” he fled on foot, said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.
Multiple bullet holes can be seen at the front door of Hoffman’s house.
According to Waltz, John and Yvette Hoffman were both undergoing surgery.
Two Democrats were targeted
Hortman, 55, has been the top Democrat leader of the state Capitol since 2017. She led the Democrats on a three-week strike at the beginning of this year’s session in the power struggle with the Republicans. Under the power sharing agreement, she handed over the small luble to Republican Rep. Lisa Demus and took on title speaker Emelita.
Hortman used his position as a speaker in 2023 to expand the protection of abortion rights. This expanded protection of abortion rights, including laws that include shelter as shelter for restrictive state patients traveling to states seeking abortion.
Waltz called her “a horrible civil servant, Minnesota equipment and giant.”
Hortman and her husband had two adult children.
The first autopsy report from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office gave the cause of death as “multiple gunshot wounds.”
The report said Melissa Hortmann had died at the scene and her husband was declared dead at the hospital.
Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and chaired the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He and his wife have a daughter.
Suspect
Boelter was appointed to the Workforce Development Commission in 2016 and reappointed to a four-year term that expired in 2023 in 2019, state records show.
According to Corporate Records, Boerter’s wife filed a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC, which has the same Green Isle mailing address listed by the couple. Boelter’s wife is listed as president and CEO, and he is listed as director of security patrols on the company’s website.
According to the website, the company offers armed security for real estate and events, featuring photos of the SUV painted in two-tone black and silver patterns similar to police vehicles. Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and ballistic vest.
According to his online resume, Belter is a security contractor who has worked in the Middle East and Africa, in addition to past managers at companies in Minnesota.
Around 6am, Belter texted a friend saying “I made a few choices,” the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
In a message reading David Carlson’s reporter, Belter did not specify what he did, but “I will disappear for a while. I may be dead soon, so I want to let you know that I love both of you and I am not doing this way.
Vance Boerter’s roommate and best friend is a man suspected of impersonating police officers as he begins shooting Minnesota legislators, and he gets emotional after reading the final text exchange.
Political violence
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demus, a Republican from Cold Spring, called the attack “evil” and said the murder “had been “grief beyond words.”
The shooting is the latest in a string of attacks on lawmakers across the party.
In April, the suspect set fire to a Pennsylvania Democrat’s home. The suspect said he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he found him, according to court documents.
In July 2024, Trump was grazed in ears by one of the bullet ails that killed Trump supporters. Two months later, a man with a rifle was found near the president’s Florida golf course and was arrested.
Other incidents include a 2022 hammer attack on the husband of then-house speaker Nancy Pelosi at her San Francisco home and a 2020 plot by anti-government extremists lured Democrat Gretchen Whitmer to launch the Civil War.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he asked Capitol police to “increase safety soon” for Minnesota Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. He also asked Republicans, the leader of the majority, to explain their members’ security.
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Karnowski reported from Minneapolis, and Durkin Richer reported Richer from Washington. The contributions were Associated Press writers Giovanna Delautto of Champlin, Minnesota, Carolyn Thompson of Buffalo, New York, and Michael Beazecker of Washington.
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