Vance Boelter, the man suspected in the fatal shooting of a Minnesota state representative and her husband, as well as the wounding of a state senator and his wife, was captured Sunday night while crawling through a field in rural Sibley County, authorities said.
Gov. Tim Walz confirmed the arrest of 57-year-old Vance Boelter during a news conference Sunday evening, calling the violence a “politically motivated assassination.”
“This was a coordinated, intentional act of political violence,” Walz said. “Minnesota will not tolerate it.”
Despite being armed, Boelter was taken into custody without incident, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said. No law enforcement officers were injured.
Boelter is being held on state and federal charges in connection with the deaths of state Rep. Melissa Hortman, D-Brooklyn Park, and her husband, Mark Hortman. He is also accused in the shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman, D-Champlin, and his wife, Yvette Hoffman.
Yvette Hoffman released a statement thanking law enforcement for their work and expressing gratitude for the support her family has received.
“John and I are both incredibly lucky to be alive,” the statement read. “We continue our healing journey and are humbled by the outpouring of love and support our family has received from across the state and our nation.”
Evans said investigators found a notebook in Boelter’s abandoned vehicle containing a list of political targets, including officials in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa. The names of both Hortman and Hoffman appeared near the top, according to Minnesota Democratic Party Chair Ron Harris.
“This wasn’t just random,” Harris said. “It was ideological.”
Authorities said the suspect had presented himself at the Hoffmans’ home around 2 a.m. Saturday, posing as a police officer. He wore a mask and arrived in a Ford SUV made to resemble a patrol vehicle, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The couple’s adult daughter was home at the time and was not injured. She called 911 after the attack, and Walz praised her actions Sunday night, calling her “heroic.”
Investigators said they recovered three semi-automatic rifles, two 9 mm handguns and the notebook from the suspect’s SUV, which was found abandoned about 3 miles from Boelter’s home in Green Isle.
The search effort ramped up early Sunday after officers found the suspect’s car and a cowboy hat near the wooded area. Nearly 200 officers, including members of more than 20 SWAT teams, participated in the manhunt across the rural area west of Minneapolis.
“This was without a doubt the largest manhunt in Minnesota history,” said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.
Authorities said a local officer spotted a man running into the woods shortly before Boelter was found crawling through a field. A state helicopter and tactical teams moved in and ordered him to surrender.
Evans said Boelter was interviewed overnight and that federal authorities were also considering charges.
In a video circulating online, Boelter describes himself as a married father of five who worked for two funeral homes. He also claimed to have previously worked in the food industry for three decades and traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to assist farmers and fishermen in improving food supply systems.
The investigation remains ongoing.
