Man suspected of shooting and killing two Minnesota lawmakers
The man suspected of killing a Minnesota Senator and injuring another person was in custody, and two law enforcement officials said they have put an end to a nearly two-day search that puts the state on the edge.
Vance Belter was arrested Sunday evening. The arrest was confirmed by law enforcement officials with the Associated Press and was not permitted to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation. He spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. Former Democrats House Speaker Melissa Hortman And her husband, Mark, was killed early Saturday at a home in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis. Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife Yvette, were injured in a Shamplin home about nine miles away.
Bolter was captured in Minnesota, but officials didn’t say where to say it right away.
The criminal charges sealed on a crime Sunday night say they face two counts of two-degree murders and two-degree murders in the death of Holtemans and the injury to Hoffman and his wife.
Hoffman was first attacked at Champin’s home early on Saturday. After police in nearby Brooklyn Park learned of the shooting, they sent patrol officers to check out the Hortmans home.
Brooklyn Park police officers arrived just in time to watch Belter shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the house, the complaint said. They say they traded the shooting for Belter.
The complaints show that the shooting at Hoffman’s home was called by an adult daughter.
Large search
Previously, Drew Evans, the director of the Criminal Arrests, said authorities believe that Bolters are using the car on the farm about an hour west of Minneapolis, where they believe that Bolters are using the car several miles from their home in Green Isle. He also said he found evidence in a vehicle that was related to the investigation but did not provide details.
Authorities, named 57-year-old Bolter, as suspect, said he was wearing a mask when he posed as a police officer, and even allegedly changed the vehicle to make the vehicle look like a police car.
Evens confirmed that investigators found a cowboy hat near the vehicle and believed it belonged to Boelter. The director also said authorities interviewed Belter’s wife and other families in connection with Saturday’s shooting. He said they were cooperative and not in custody.
The FBI had issued rewards of up to $50,000 for information that led to his arrest and conviction.
More than 100 law enforcement officials, including the SWAT team, were searching the area, including a nearby home, Evans said. He also said they received over 400 tips from the public.
Previous searches took place in rural Sibley County, approximately 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Minneapolis. There, Boerter had a house with his wife and five children. Residents in the area have received emergency warnings about where they warn them to lock their doors and cars.
GunshotcomeAsPolitical leaders across the countryThey are being attacked, harassed and threatened amid deep political divisions.The lawmakers said they were interrupted.Due to an attack that mourns Twin City residents.
The brightly colored flowers and a small American flag were placed on the gray marble stones of the Minnesota Capitol on Sunday, along with a photograph of Holtimann. People scrawled messages with small notes, such as, “You have been our leader throughout the most difficult times. You are in power.”
Pam Stein came along with flowers and kneeled down at the monument. Emotional Stein calls Hortman an “absolute powerhouse” and “the real, nameless hero of the Minnesota government.”
There are no details regarding motivation
Authorities have not yet provided details about their motivation.
A list of about 70 names was found in the book recovered from a fake police vehicle left at the crime scene, officials said. Officials said the list of works and names included prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, and included information about abortion rights advocates and health facilities.
While describing the material as a “manifesto” on Saturday, Evans made it clear that the paper was not a political or ideological paper. He said it was more of a notebook, listing lawmakers and others, and mixed ideas. He refused to provide details.
A Minnesota official said he was on the list by Associated Press lawmakers who were frankly speaking in support of abortion rights. The official spoke about the state of anonymity as the investigation was ongoing.
The attack prompted other state elected officials to warn and planned cancellations“No King” demonstrationSome people have moved ahead against President Donald Trump anyway, but they also include those that attracted tens of thousands of people to the state capitol in St. Paul. Authorities said the suspect had a “king” flyer in his car.
Records show that Belter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development committee as Hoffman, but it was not clear whether or how well they knew each other.
Around 6am on Saturday, Bolter texted a friend to apologise for his actions, but he didn’t say what he had done.
“I’m going to leave for a while. I just want to let you know I love both of you as I might be dead soon. I hope I haven’t done this. …I’m sorry for all the trouble this caused,” he wrote in a message seen by the AP.
Two Democrats were targeted
On Sunday evening, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar shared a statement from Yvette Hoffmann, expressing her gratitude for the pouring of public support.
“John is currently enduring many surgeries and is getting closer to getting out of the woods every hour,” Yvette Hoffman said.Text posted by KlobucharOn social media. “He got nine bullet hits. I’ve taken eight times. We’re both incredibly lucky to be alive.
On social media, Gov. Tim Waltz remembered Hortman on Sunday as “the most consequential speaker in the history of the state.”
Hortman55, has been the top Democratic leader of the state Capitol since 2017. She led the Democrats.3 weeks of strikeThe beginning of this year’s session in a power struggle with Republicans. Under the power sharing agreement, she handed over the small giveaway to Republican Rep. Lisa Demus and took on title speaker Emelita.
Hortman used his position as a speaker in 2023 to expand the protection of abortion rights. This expanded protection of abortion rights, including laws that include shelter as shelter for restrictive state patients traveling to states seeking abortion.
The couple had an adult son and an adult daughter.
Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and chaired the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He and his wife have one adult daughter.
This story was originally introduced Fortune.com