The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and wounding another lawmaker and his wife is in custody following a nearly two-day manhunt after a shocking streak of political violence.
Vance Boelter, 57, is accused of fatally shooting Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as well as shooting Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife at their respective homes on Saturday in what has been described as a âpolitically motivatedâ attack.
Boelter was captured in Minnesota late Sunday night. He faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder.
âThe face of evil,â Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a social media caption alongside a photograph of the suspect surrounded by heavily armed law enforcement officers.
âAfter relentless and determined police work, the killer is now in custody,â the office said. âThanks to the dedication of multiple agencies working together along with support from the community, justice is one step closer.â
Melissa and Mark Hortman died from âmultiple gunshot woundsâ from a suspected gunman who appeared to be impersonating a police officer before breaking into their home in the early morning hours on Saturday.
Law enforcement agencies spent nearly 48 hours searching for Boelter, with more than 100 agents deployed across the state.
On Sunday morning, officials located a vehicle they believed belonged to Boelter on the side of the highway in Sibley County.
Melissa Hortman is among the stateâs top Democratic officials and the former state Speaker of the House.
John and Yvette Hoffman were shot more than a dozen times in a similar attack at their home.
The state senator was shot nine times and âis closer every hour to being out of the woodsâ while recovering in the hospital, his wife told Senator Amy Klobuchar on Sunday.
Yvette Hoffman was shot eight times, she said. They are both âincredibly lucky to be alive,â Yvette shared in a message to Klobuchar.
A neighbor told police he saw what appeared to be a police car pull out of the Hoffmansâ driveway after hearing gunshots.
FBI officials released a photo of the suspect dressed as a police officer and wearing what appeared to be a costume face mask at the front door of the victimsâ home.
While an official motive has not been released, law enforcement officials said they discovered what appeared to be list of other Democratic lawmakers, officials, and members of organizations who have advocated for abortion rights.
A longtime friend and roommate of Boelter told reporters that he held extremely anti-abortion views and had recently been experiencing some financial issues.
This is a developing story
