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PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Federal officials believe that Vance Luther Boelter, who allegedly shot two Minnesota state representatives and their spouses, visited the homes of at least two other state lawmakers early Saturday morning intending to murder them.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Vance Luther Boelter, Melissa Hortman, John Hoffman, two other Minnesota lawmakers, state law enforcement, and Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The murders and attempted murders occurred early Saturday morning, June 14, with Boelter eventually captured by state law enforcement on Sunday, June 15.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This was a political assassination,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said on Monday.
🎯IMPACT: The revelation that Boelter visited the homes of additional targets suggests the assassin had far broader plans to kill state officials.
IN FULL
Federal officials revealed that alleged Minnesota assassin Vance Luther Boelter, accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses in their homes, visited the homes of two other state lawmakers on Saturday morning, but moved on as neither was present. Boelter allegedly shot and killed state Representative Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, and critically wounded state Senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife Yvette.
In all four incidents, it is believed that Boelter approached the homes disguised as a police officer and claimed to be investigating some sort of crime when someone answered the door. The first home visited by Boelter was that of state Senator Hoffman, with both the lawmaker and his wife being critically wounded by the assassin. Next, Boelter drove to the home of another, unnamed, lawmaker, but discovered it empty.
However, in the second of the failed shooting attempts, an actual local law enforcement official now believes they encountered Boelter sitting outside the lawmaker’s residence in an SUV. The officer says they approached the vehicle and a man in a police uniform sitting inside, and assumed the individual was dispatched to provide a protective detail. However, when the officer tried to verbally address the individual, the man in the SUV continued staring straight ahead.
After the initial encounter, the law enforcement officer says they proceeded to check on the home, knocking on the front door and receiving no response. Upon confirming that the house was unoccupied, the officer realized the SUV and the man—now believed to be Boelter—had departed.
Subsequently, police would again encounter Boelter at the final home, belonging to Rep. Hortman. When police arrived, Boelter was standing at the front door of the lawmaker’s residence. Before law enforcement could respond, Boelter forced his way into the home and began opening fire, killing Hortman and her husband.
Boelter had previously been appointed to serve on a state workforce commission by Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) and by his predecessor, Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN). On Monday, Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson plainly stated: “This was a political assassination.”
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