Vance Boelter visited other politicians' houses too night of Minnesota shootings
Minnesota authorities have detailed that Vance Luther Boelter allegedly planned to assassinate multiple Democratic lawmakers.
Minnesota authorities have revealed another spine-chilling detail in the case of Vance Luther Boelter, the 57-year-old man accused of killing State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband in a politically motivated shooting spree.
Officials say Boelter intended to assassinate multiple Democratic lawmakers, visiting several homes during an early morning rampage that left one couple dead and another seriously wounded.
Boelter, who was arrested Sunday night after a two-day manhunt, is facing state charges for the second-degree murder of Hortman and her husband.
Mark, as well as the attempted murder of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The Hoffmans were shot at their Champlin home after Boelter allegedly posed as a police officer, wearing a realistic latex mask and driving an SUV made to look like a law enforcement vehicle.
Federal prosecutors have also brought a 20-page indictment against Boelter, which could potentially carry the death penalty. During his first federal court appearance in St. Paul on Monday, Boelter told the judge he couldn’t afford an attorney, and a public defender was appointed.
Authorities say Boelter's actions were part of a larger plan
Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said Boelter had researched multiple lawmakers and visited two other homes after the initial shootings. One house was empty, while at the second, he was confronted by a police officer responding to a wellness check.
“It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares,” Thompson told reporters. “Boelter stalked his victims like prey. He went to their homes, held himself out as a police officer, and shot them in cold blood.”
Thompson called Hortman’s murder “a political assassination” and warned that such violence is a growing threat. “It’s a chilling attack on our democracy, on our way of life,” he said.
“The trend [of political violence] has been increasing over recent years and I hope it’s a wake-up call to everyone that people can disagree with you without being evil, without [anybody] needing to be killed for it.”
Investigators found hundreds of pages in Boelter’s car listing names and addresses of political figures, abortion rights advocates, and healthcare workers.
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He was eventually tracked to a wooded area near Green Isle after using cash to purchase a vehicle and flee. “A short period of negotiation” led to his peaceful surrender, said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.
