Vance Boelter, Minnesota shooting suspect of two lawmakers and their spouses, arrested
Corey Schmidt
BLAINE, Minn. — The search for Vance Luther Boelter, the man suspected of gunning down Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, ended Sunday night with his arrest.
Boelter, 57, was arrested at about 9 p.m. June 15. He is accused of shooting the two Democratic state legislators and their spouses in the early morning hours of June 14. The Minnesota State Patrol took him into custody in rural Sibley County, roughly 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
About 20 SWAT teams helped bring Boelter into custody after a 43-hour manhunt, according to Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.
"This is a great example of coordination and collaborate of multiple agencies — federal, state and local, coordinating together in a way to protect the public and close this hunt," Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.
Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger said Boelter was arrested without incident, use of force or injury. He was armed when arrested, but officials didn't provide details on what type of weapon Boelter had.
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said Boelter is being interviewed at a law enforcement facility but declined to provide information on what specific facility or its location.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will continue investigating the case.
Shooter posed as cop, left manifesto
Boelter reportedly impersonated a law enforcement officer and went to the homes of Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park and Hoffman, DFL-Champlin. Hortman and her husband, Mark, died from their injuries. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are still recovering, but authorities didn't release any new information about them Sunday night.
Police say Boelter shot Hoffman and his wife at about 2 a.m. June 14 at their Champlin home. The Brooklyn Park Police Department then proactively checked on Hortman at roughly 3:35 a.m. June 14. Arriving officers reportedly saw Boelter leave the lawmaker's Brooklyn Park home before he got away on foot.
Boelter left a vehicle resembling a police squad car outside Hortman's home. Inside the vehicle was a manifesto containing names of potential targets living in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska, according to Evans.
"If (officers didn't proactively check on Hortman's home), I have every confidence that was going to continue throughout the day," Evans said. "(Brooklyn Park) officers encountering him at that, forced (him) to abandon that vehicle."
This is a developing story that may be updated as new information becomes available.
Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at [email protected].