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A two-day manhunt across Minnesota ended with the dramatic arrest of 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, who is accused of fatally shooting longtime Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and seriously injuring State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Authorities apprehended Boelter in a wooded area west of Minneapolis after he surrendered by crawling toward officers. Armed at the time of his arrest, he was taken into custody without incident, ending what officials described as the largest manhunt in the state’s history.
The violence unfolded in the early hours of Saturday morning, beginning at the Hoffman residence in Champlin. According to a relative’s social media post, Yvette Hoffman threw herself on top of her daughter, shielding the child from bullets in what was described as a politically motivated assassination attempt. Both John and Yvette Hoffman were hit a total of 17 times and are now recovering in hospital. Just hours later, the bodies of Melissa and Mark Hortman were discovered in their home in Brooklyn Park, approximately eight miles from the Hoffmans.
Boelter, a former political appointee and one-time member of the same workforce development board as Senator Hoffman, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder. While investigators have not publicly confirmed a motive, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar have strongly suggested that the attack was driven by political hatred. Walz described it as a “politically motivated assassination” and an “unspeakable act” that had shaken the state. He called for unity and rejected violence as a means of resolving political differences.
Boelter is believed to have impersonated a police officer to gain access to his victims, and may have exchanged gunfire with police before fleeing. After finding his vehicle abandoned in Sibley County, about 50 miles from the crime scenes, law enforcement launched an extensive manhunt involving SWAT teams and aerial units. His wife was briefly detained during a traffic stop but was released after cooperating with authorities.
A notebook found in Boelter’s car reportedly contained a list of political “targets.” While officials have not disclosed every name listed, local media reported that it included high-profile figures such as Governor Walz, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Law enforcement officials have since alerted authorities in neighboring states including Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, and Iowa, in case others were at risk.
Melissa Hortman had been a prominent figure in Minnesota politics, serving in the House of Representatives for two decades and acting as Speaker from 2019 to 2025. Her death has left colleagues and constituents reeling. Neighbors described the Hortmans as kind, community-oriented people. “They were very nice neighbors in a very quiet neighborhood,” one local resident told the BBC. Another said they had received a Christmas card from the couple every year, calling their deaths “a big loss for Minnesota.”
At a press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey commended the “skill and bravery” of the officers who captured Boelter and emphasized that “political violence is abhorrent.” Investigators are continuing to piece together the suspect’s actions and mindset leading up to the attack, though they stopped short of labeling the recovered notebook a “manifesto.”
Meanwhile, Yvette Hoffman has spoken out from her hospital bed, expressing heartbreak over the loss of the Hortmans and gratitude for the care she and her husband are receiving. “We feel incredibly lucky to be alive,” she said in a written statement, adding, “There is never a place for this kind of political hate.”
Boelter is set to appear in court in Minneapolis. The case has reignited national debate over political extremism, violence against public officials, and the urgent need for greater safeguards in American democracy.