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Did US cops witness Minnesota lawmaker's killing? Court document reveals shocking details

Hortman and her husband were allegedly shot dead by Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who is accused of impersonating a police officer.

Updated on: Jun 16, 2025, 09:50:22 IST
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In another shocking twist in the murder case of a Minnesota lawmaker, a court filing has revealed that police officers witnessed the fatal shooting of state House Speaker Melissa Hortman's husband.

House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were allegedly shot dead by Vance Luther Boelter. (REUTERS)
House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were allegedly shot dead by Vance Luther Boelter. (REUTERS)

Hortman and her husband were allegedly shot dead by Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who is accused of impersonating a police officer and carrying out a series of targeted shootings at the homes of state legislators in Hennepin County in the early hours of June 14.

According to a court document, posted by AZ Intel, police in Brooklyn Park arrived at the home of the legislator Hortman, who was shot around 3:35 am, shortly after responding to an earlier shooting in Champlin involving another state lawmaker.

When they witnessed Boelter shoot an adult male through the open door of the residence. Officers immediately exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who then fled into the house and later escaped the scene, the court documents reveal.

Here's what the court filing says:

On or about June 14, 2025, at approximately 2:05 a.m., Champlin Police officers responded to a shooting at a residence in Champlin, Hennepin County, Minnesota. The 911 caller reported that a masked person had come to their door and then shot their parents.

Inside the residence, officers found two adults, male and female, who had been shot, referred to herein as Victim 3 and Victim 4. Victim 3 is a state legislator.

Also Read | Whom did Vance Boelter vote for? Alleged Minnesota assassin's political affiliations revealed

Video surveillance footage from the exterior of the residence showed a Ford SUV with police-style lights parked in the driveway of the residence.

It also showed a man, later identified as Defendant VANCE LUTHER BOELTER (07/23/1967), wearing a mask, a blue shirt, and a police-style tactical vest with a badge and a yellow-gripped gun, approach the front door with a flashlight.

The defendant knocked on the door and announced himself as a police officer before entering the house and shooting Victims 3 and 4. The surveillance footage showed the Defendant flee the residence and enter the police-style vehicle. Victim 3 and Victim 4 are currently alive and remain hospitalised.

A short time later, the Brooklyn Park Police Department learned of the shooting in Champlin. Because one of the victims is a state legislator, police proactively sent patrol officers to the home of another state legislator in Brooklyn Park, Hennepin County, Minnesota.

Also Read | Who is David Carlson? Vance Boelter's close friend says suspect seemed ‘down’ lately, was ‘struggling' due to losses

When officers arrived at approximately 3:35 a.m., they saw the Ford SUV with police-style lights and immediately saw Defendant, still dressed as a police officer, shoot an adult man referred to herein as Victim 2 through the open door of the home.

Police exchanged gunfire with the Defendant, who fled inside the residence before escaping the area. Inside the residence, officers found two adults deceased from gunshot wounds-- Victim 2 and his wife, Victim 1.

Victim 1 is also a state legislator.

Vance Luther Boelter arrested

Meanwhile, in a major development, Vance Luther Boelter, the man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another, has been taken into custody, two law enforcement officials said.

Also Read | Vance Boelter in custody: How police tracked down Minnesota shooter hiding in Green Isle

Former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin home, about 9 miles away.

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