'Largest Manhunt In The State's History' Ends With Vance Boelter In Custody

MINNESOTA — Vance Luther Boelter was taken into custody Sunday evening in connection with the fatal shootings of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband as well as a separate attack on state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, authorities said.

“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” Gov. Tim Walz said at a press conference late Sunday night livestreamed on YouTube. “This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences.”

BREAKING: $5M Bail Set For Suspected Political Assassin Vance Boelter After Manhunt, Murder Charges Filed

Boelter, who had a list of names in his vehicle at the time of the attacks, first went to the Hoffman home in the early morning hours Saturday and then went to the Hortman residence, where he encountered and shot at police while impersonating an officer, according to authorities.

"If that had not had happened I have every confidence that this would have continued throughout the day," said Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, noting the encounter forced Boelter to abandon his vehicle outside the Hortmans' Brooklyn Park home.

Boelter's arrest followed a massive two-day search that eventually extended far into rural Minnesota. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley 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.

Boelter, 57, was arrested in the 35600 block of 200th Street in the Sibley County city of Green Isle following an extensive search of the area, authorities said. He was armed when taken into custody but law enforcement did not use force in the arrest, according to officials.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told The Minnesota Star Tribune a Sibley County resident around 7 p.m. reported a trail camera image "consistent with Boelter" and Boelter eventually surrendered after trying to evade arrest for roughly an hour.

He faces two counts of second-degree murder as well as two counts of second-degree attempted murder, the Star Tribune reported, adding the criminal complaint against him states that officers saw him fatally shoot Mark Hortman and one of the Hoffmans' children made the first 911 call.

Evans said officials are examining whether to bring additional charges at the federal level.

The list of names in Boelter's vehicle included leaders in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa, Evans said, adding law enforcement is coordinating to notify those listed.

Authorities received over 400 tips about the case, Evans told reporters at a press conference early Sunday evening before the arrest that was livestreamed on YouTube, urging anyone with information about Boelter's whereabouts or who saw anything suspicious to call police. The FBI also offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and capture.

A vehicle tied to Boelter was found near Highway 25 and 301st Avenue in Faxon Township in Sibley County, according to a text alert circulating mid-day Sunday on social media.

"Suspect not located," the alert said. "Keep your doors locked and vehicles secured. Report suspicious activity to 911. Law enforcement will be going to area residences to ask to search properties."

Evans said Sunday that officials were unsure of Boelter's mode of transportation but believed he was alive.

“While everybody wants an easy answer, I would encourange everybody online and in our communities to not speculate on what occurred and what the motivation was for this," he said. "We often want easy answers for complex problems and this is a complex situation that our investigators are going to need time to sift through the information and evidence, and those answers will come as we complete the full picture of our investigation.”

The vehicle was found not far from Green Isle, where Boelter was living. Investigators discovered a cowboy hat near the vehicle. The search was happening roughly 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis, where Boelter had a home with his wife and five children.

Numerous agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were assisting with the case, Evans said.

Boelter's wife, Jenny Boelter, was detained with three relatives late Saturday morning in Mille Lacs County, roughly 100 miles from the Twin Cities, at the request of metro area authorities, Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton told the Star Tribune on Sunday.

Their vehicle contained cash, passports, a weapon and ammunition, two sources confirmed to KSTP.

Evans said authorities interviewed Boelter’s wife and other family members in connection with Saturday's shootings, and that they were cooperative and are not in custody.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Sunday that authorities believed Vance Boelter hadn't gone far.

“We believe he’s somewhere in the vicinity and that they are going to find him,” the Democrat said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “But right now, everyone’s on edge here, because we know that this man will kill at a second.”

Boelter, who owned a home security company, was photographed Saturday morning, according to authorities. The Star Tribune reported Saturday that Boelter texted his roommates he had “made some choices” and “may be dead shortly.”

Walz called the killings a “politically motivated assassination.”

Champlin police were called to the Hoffman home around 2 a.m. Saturday and, about 90 minutes later, Brooklyn Park police checked the Hortman residence, where they encountered Boelter posing as an officer, according to authorities, who said Boelter fired at police and fled on foot.

Hortman, a Democrat and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot early Saturday morning, Walz said during a news conference Saturday.

Hoffman, also a Democrat, was shot nine times and his wife, Yvette, was shot eight times, according to a message from Yvette Hoffman to Klobuchar, which Klobuchar shared on social media.

Yvette Hoffman shielded the couple's daughter from the gunfire, her nephew, Mat Ollig, confirmed to the Star Tribune. Yvette works as a support professional at Fernbrook Elementary School in Maple Grove, and the Fernbrook PTO has started a GoFundMe to collect donations for the family to aid in their recovery.

A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from the fake police vehicle that Boelter left at the crime scene in Brooklyn Park, officials said. The writings and list of names included prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates and information about healthcare facilities, according to officials.

A Minnesota official told the Associated Press that lawmakers who had been outspoken in favor of abortion rights were on the list. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

Hortman used her position as speaker in 2023 to champion expanded protections for abortion rights, including legislation to solidify Minnesota’s status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions — and to protect providers who serve them.

Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, records show, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other.

The vehicle also contained several AK-style firearms and he was believed to be armed with a pistol, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press.

The attacks prompted warnings to other state elected officials and the cancellation of planned "No Kings" demonstrations against President Donald Trump, though some went ahead anyway. Authorities said the suspect had "No Kings" flyers in his car.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.