Crime & Safety
MI Democrats Listed In Documents Of Accused Political Assassin: Reports
Officials said multiple Michigan Democratic lawmakers' names were found in documents that belonged to the shooter.
MICHIGAN — Several Michigan Democratic lawmakers were on a list that belonged to a man who is accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses, according to reports.
The Michigan lawmakers included were U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids and Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, local reports said.
Scholten’s office said Monday that she had increased her security and canceled a Muskegon town hall planned for Monday night.
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"Nothing matters more to me than the safety and well-being of the people I serve. After being made aware that my name was on a list connected to the recent tragic shooting in Minnesota, my office has made the difficult decision to postpone our planned town hall in Muskegon," Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, said a statement.
Officials said Vance Luther Boelter fatally shot former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and wounded Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in a separate shooting.
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Officials said the shootings happened at the lawmakers’ homes early Saturday and sparked a massive statewide manhunt. Boelter, 57, was arrested Sunday night and faces murder and stalking charges.
Police said Boelter surrendered to officers who tracked him down in the woods near his home outside Minneapolis. Police described it as the "largest manhunt in the state's history" and said 20 SWAT teams were at the scene where Boelter was taken into custody.
Officials said they found notebooks filled with names and information on internet searches to find addresses inside Boelter's SUV. The names included prominent Democrats and individuals with ties to Planned Parenthood and the abortion rights movement, according to the Associated Press.
Superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Drew Evans said the names in the Boelter's documents were from Michigan, Illinois, Iowa Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Police believe the shootings were politically motivated.
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