1 of 3 | Authorities said someone impersonating a police officer shot and killed State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark around 3: 30 a.m. CDT in the city of Brooklyn Park, located around 11 miles northwest of Minneapolis Saturday. Photo courtesy of Minnesota House of Representatives
June 14 (UPI) — A police manhunt is underway in Minnesota after two state lawmakers and their spouses were shot overnight in a “politically motivated assassination,” Gov. Tim Walz told reporters Saturday.
The suspect is a former Walz appointee named Vance Luther Boelter, 57, whom Walz in 2019 appointed to a four-year term on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, the New York Post reported.
He earlier served on the Governor’s Workforce Development Council in 2016 under former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton.
Police identified Boelter as the suspect and said he drove an SUV with emergency lights that looked like a police SUV.
Investigators found a list of Minnesota lawmakers, a manifesto and several “No Kings” flyers inside the SUV, a photo of which the Minnesota State Patrol posted on X.
The flyers reference the nationwide “No Kings” protests that are scheduled for Saturday while President Donald Trump attends a military parade honoring the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army.
“Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today’s planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution,” the MSP said.
Trump said federal investigators will participate in the manhunt and prosecute all involved.
“I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law,” Trump said.
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” he added. “God bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”
Authorities said someone impersonating a police officer shot and killed State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, around 3: 30 a.m. CDT in the city of Brooklyn Park, located around 11 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
Around 2 a.m. CDT, a gunman opened fire, hitting State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette “multiple times” in Champlin, Minn., in another targeted shooting.
Walz said during a Saturday news conferen