Vance Boelter, Suspect in Hortman Murders, Arrested Following ‘Largest Manhunt in State History’
After a nearly two-day manhunt, police arrested Vance Boelter, the man suspected of fatally shooting Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) and her husband, Mark, at their Brooklyn Park home.
Boelter is also suspected of shooting Sen. John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) and his wife Yvette in their home while impersonating a police officer.
“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” said Gov. Tim Walz in a Sunday night press conference announcing Boelter’s arrest. “Melissa Hortman was the core of who are values were.”
Court documents show that Boelter has been charged with multiple counts of second-degree murder. He’s also expected to face federal charges.
Police arrested Boelter at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday in a field near Green Isle, Minn., a town about 50 miles west of Minneapolis in Sibley County.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Boelter was armed when he was apprehended.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley called the effort the “largest manhunt in the state’s history,” with hundreds of police officers assisting in the investigation and about 20 SWAT teams involved in the arrest.
An officer witnessed Boelter run into the woods near Green Isle, bringing a substantial law enforcement response, according to Bruley. Officers were eventually “able to call him out to us” without injury, he said.
Boelter has been booked in the Hennepin County Jail.
After a nearly two-day manhunt, police have arrested Vance Boelter, the man suspected of fatally shooting Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) and her husband Mark at their Brooklyn Park home. He was arrested near Green Isle, Minn., a town about 50 miles west of Minneapolis.
New Details From Criminal Complaint
According to the criminal complaint, Hoffman’s daughter called 911 at 2:05 a.m. to report that a masked man had shot her parents.
Video surveillance showed a Ford SUV with police-style lights parked at their Champlin home.
Boelter allegedly knocked on the front door while wearing a mask, and a tactical vest with a badge and Taser-like yellow gun.
He entered the house, shooting both John and Yvette Hoffman, then fled in the SUV.
Officers with the Brooklyn Park Police Department arrived at the scene and proactively sent a a team to check on Hortman who lived nearby in Brooklyn Park.
They arrived at the Hortman home around 3:35 a.m., finding the same SUV and Boelter, still dressed as a police officer.
Officers then saw Boelter shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home.
Police exchanged gunfire with Boelter, who ran inside the house and temporarily escaped. Inside, officers found both Melissa and Mark Hortman had died from their wounds.
Inside the SUV, officers found three AK-47s, a 9 mm handgun, and a list of names and addresses for other public officials.
Statement from the Hoffmans
Both Hoffmans were hospitalized and survived the shooting.
In a statement to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Yvette said that “John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods. He took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive. We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark. We have no words. There is never a place for this kind of political hate.”
More Coverage on Rep. Hortman Assassination, Sen. Hoffman Shooting
- Rep. Hortman and Husband Killed, Sen. Hoffman and Wife Shot in ‘Politically-Motivated Assassination’
