Authorities searching for suspect in shooting of 2 Minnesota state lawmakers

BROOKLYN PARK Minn AP Hundreds of law enforcement officers fanned out across a Minneapolis suburb Saturday in pursuit of a man who officials say posed as a police officer and fatally shot a Democratic state lawmaker in her home in what Gov Tim Walz called a politically motivated assassination Executives commented the same suspect also shot and wounded a second lawmaker and was supposed to be trying to flee the area Democratic former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed in their Brooklyn Park home Sen John Hoffman also a Democrat and his wife Yvette were injured at their Champlin address about nine miles about kilometers away Drew Evans superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension declared at an afternoon news conference that executives were looking for -year-old Vance Boelter and he has not yet been caught Agents displayed a photo of Boelter wearing a tan cowboy hat that was taken Saturday and sought the community to description sightings Evans revealed investigators have obtained video as well He did not give details on a feasible motive Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce evolution board as Hoffman state records show though it wasn t clear if or how well they knew each other The early morning attacks targeting lawmakers in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis prompted warnings to other elected agents around the state and the cancellation of planned No Kings demonstrations against President Donald Trump Government say the suspect had No Kings flyers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the casualties as well as other lawmakers and personnel though they could not say if he had any other specific targets The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked harassed and intimidated during a time of deep political divisions We must all in Minnesota and across the country stand against all forms of political violence Walz a Democrat noted at a news conference Those responsible for this will be held accountable Law enforcement has recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect s van and he s deduced to still be armed with a pistol one of the people familiar with the matter advised the AP An overnight shooting Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Hoffmans home shortly after a m Champlin police declared and ascertained the lawmaker and his wife Yvette with multiple gunshot wounds After seeing who the casualties were police sent officers to check on Hortman s home where they encountered what appeared to be a police van and a man dressed as an officer at the door leaving the house When officers confronted him the individual straightaway fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire and the suspect retreated back into the home and escaped Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley commented Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the front door of Hoffman s home President Donald Trump explained in a White House report that the FBI would join in the probe Our Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI are assessing the situation and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America God Bless the great people of Minnesota a truly great place Two Democratic lawmakers targeted Hortman had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since She led House Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year s session in a power struggle with Republicans Under a power sharing agreement she turned the gavel over to the top Republican Rep Lisa Demuth and assumed the title speaker emerita Walz described her as a formidable general servant a fixture and a giant in Minnesota every day determined to make this state a better place She is irreplaceable he noted Hortman and her husband had two adult children Hoffman was first elected in and played a key role as chair of the Senate Human Services Committee which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget He and his wife have one daughter State Patrol Col Christina Bogojevic required people out of an abundance of caution not to attend any of the No Kings protests that were scheduled for across the state on Saturday Bogojevic noted bureaucrats didn t have any direct evidence that the protests would be targeted but declared the suspect had certain No Kings flyers in their car Organizers communicated that all of the protests across the state were canceled The suspect Boelter was appointed to the workforce evolution board by then-Minnesota Gov Mark Dayton in and then reappointed in by the current governor to a four-year term that expired in state records show State corporate records show Boelter s wife filed to create a company called Praetorian Guard Safety Services LLC with the same Green Isle mailing address listed for the couple On a website for the business Boelter s wife is listed as the president and CEO while he is listed as the director of safeguard patrols The company s homepage says it provides armed assurance for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police conveyance with a light bar across the roof and Praetorian painted across the doors Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest with the company s name across the front An online resume says he is a prevention contractor who has worked oversees in the Middle East and Africa in addition to past managerial roles at companies in Minnesota Massive search effort underway Hours after the shootings hundreds of police and sheriff deputies from departments in the region specific in tactical gear with assault-style weapons were scattered through the town An alert sent to people s cellphones petitioned residents to continue sheltering in place as police were still looking for a suspect who is armed and dangerous Suspect is white male brown hair wearing black body armor over blue shirt and blue pants and may misrepresent himself as law enforcement Do not approach Call the alert commented Specific roadblocks had been set up in which leadership stopped and checked vehicles This is crazy someone going after representatives This is wrong I m hoping they ll catch them announced Brooklyn Park resident Douglas Thompson adding he wasn t worried and presumed leadership would catch the suspect Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth a Republican from Cold Spring called the attack evil and stated she was heartbroken beyond words by the killings of Hortman and her husband Mark With the law enforcement response ongoing and details still emerging I will totally ask all Minnesotans to please lift up in prayer the casualties of this horrific attack as well as the law enforcement personnel still working to apprehend the perpetrator Demuth disclosed in a declaration Political Violence The shootings are the latest in a series of violent attacks against lawmakers across parties in latest years In April a suspect set fire to the home of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro forcing him and his family to flee the building during the Jewish holiday of Passover The suspect narrated law enforcement that he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he detected him according to court documents In July the Republican Trump was grazed on the ear by one of a hail of bullets that killed a Trump supporter Two months later a man with a rifle was discovered in several shrubbery near the president s golf syllabus in Florida and arrested by Secret Organization agents Other high profile attacks in new years have included a hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside their San Francisco home and a plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap Democratic Gov Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home and start a civil war Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced Saturday that he has demanded Capitol Police to this instant increase safety for Minnesota Sens Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith both Democrats Schumer announced he had also appealed Senate Majority Leader John Thune a Republican from South Dakota to hold a briefing for senators on member protection Condemning violence is vital but it is not enough Schumer disclosed in a post on X We must also confront the toxic forces radicalizing individuals and we must do more to protect one another our democracy and the values that bind us as Americans