The person suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers is still in the whole
A huge raid entered the alleged gunman on Sunday the second day in Minnesota, who killed a Democratic lawmaker while pretending to be a policeman, a crime by Gov. Tim Walz, considered a “political-motivated assassination.”
The suspect is believed to be Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who fled on foot when police faced him at Brooklyn Park Home in former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
Authorities say the gunman shot and killed another Democratic MP, John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, a few kilometers away from their home.
Democrat Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Sunday morning that authorities believe the suspect is still in the Midwest, adding that neighboring South Dakota had issued an alarm.
“It's obviously politically motivated,” she said. Her entire congressional delegation – Republicans and Democrats – issued a statement denouncing the shooting.
Officials said the suspect stayed in a vehicle outside the Hotman home in suburban Minneapolis, which resembled a police SUV, including a flash and contained a “manifesto” and a list of targets for other politicians and agencies.
As of Saturday night, authorities have not publicly determined a specific motive.
According to online releases and public records of Reuters' comments, Boelter has ties to evangelical government departments and claims to be a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa.
“Obviously, because of the groups on the list and other things I heard, it was his manifesto. So it was one of his motivations,” Klobuchar said.
According to state records, Walz's former is a predecessor to the state advisory board, and he was appointed with Hoffman. Authorities say they are not sure if there is any meaningful interaction between the two.
“I would say there is some overlap with Senator Hoffman and the individual,” Drew Evans told reporters Saturday.
“But we don’t know the nature of the relationship or whether they really know each other.”
The killings are the latest in a series of high-profile political violence, including the 2022 attack on the husband of former Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an attempted assassination by Donald Trump during last year's presidential campaign, and a Pennsylvania attack by Josh Josh Shapiro in April in Pennsylvania's state government.
Republican and Democratic politicians across the country reacted to shock and horror, and called for a lowering of increasingly fierce political rhetoric.
Klobuchar said she was at a political dinner on Friday, just hours before they were shot.
“We started politically, mom started with the young kids, and she was able to balance each door, knock on every house in her area, while raising two kids – the Girl Scout Leader, who taught Sunday School,” she said.
Klobuchar said both Hoffmans were “hanging there” after multiple gunshot wounds.
Gunners serve as military officers
The attack began at around 2 a.m. ET on Saturday, and authorities said a gunman shot the Hoffmans at Champlin's home and drove several kilometers to the Hotman's home in Brooklyn Park.
Police took the initiative to go to Hotman's House in response to the request of the sergeant who attacked Hoffman, worried that other politicians might be in danger. The gunman immediately opened fire at two officers when he arrived, and when they sent the fire, he ran away.
The FBI released photos of the suspect wearing a rubber mask and a police-like uniform.
David Carlson, 59, told Reuters that he had shared with Boelter in Minneapolis for more than a year and met him on Friday night. He said he received disturbing text from Boelter about 6 a.m. Saturday.
“He said he might die soon,” Carlson said.
Former State Councilor Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed Saturday by people pretending to be police officers, and the second councillor and his wife were shot and injured in Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Police said they found a flyer with a “King-No” printed on the suspect's car, which was amid Saturday's national “King-No” protest against the Trump administration, but he had no known direct links with the movement.
“This horrible act of violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” Trump said in a statement.
Trump sometimes faces criticism from some opponents when talking about his political rivals.
In his first step in his tenure earlier this year, Trump pardoned nearly everyone, guilty of criminal charges participating in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.
