Photo: Hennepin County Sheriff
Vance Boelter was charged with two counts of murder in the second-degree and two counts of attempted murder in the second-degree, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune following his arrest Sunday (June 15) night.
Boelter, 57, the suspect accused of murdering former Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and also shooting Sen. John Hoffman and his wife on Saturday (June 14), was found in the woods after authorities set up a "large-scale perimeter" and deployed SWAT teams in rural Sibley County.
The suspect had previously left behind "at least three AK-47 assault rifles" and a handgun in a "Ford SUV with police-style lights," which also contained "a list of names and addresses of other public officials," when he fled Hortman's house early Saturday morning. Boelter, who was wearing a mask and a "police-style badge," reportedly identified himself as a police officer before at Hoffman's front door early Saturday morning,
“Video surveillance footage from the exterior of the residence showed a Ford SUV with police-style lights parked in the driveway of the residence,” the complaint states.
Police encountered Boelter dressed as a police officer exiting Hoffman's home early Saturday morning during an incident that resulted in gunfire being exchanged before he escaped on foot, leaving behind what appeared to be a police car at the scene. Officers found a hit list with nearly 70 names, mostly compiled of Democratic politicians or figures linked to abortion rights, including Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Tina Smith, and said the shootings were "politically motivated," via NBC News.
Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed at their home, while Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were severely injured during a separate incident at their home. Law enforcement shared images of Boelter and said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
David Carlson, Boelter's best friend and roommate, read a message he received from Boelter out loud to the Minnesota Star Tribune, which warned that he "made some choices" causing him "to be gone for a while."
“David and Ron, I love you guys. I made some choices, and you guys don’t know anything about this, but I’m going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn’t gone this way,” Carlson said while sitting on the front stoop in a video shared by the newspaper on its X account.
“I don’t want to say anything more and implicate you in any way because you guys don’t know anything about this. But I love you guys and I’m sorry for all the trouble this has caused,” the message continued.
Carlson, 59, said he immediately called police in fear that Boelter, his friend since the fourth grade, would inflict self-harm and was shocked to learn of the heinous accusations.
“He wasn’t a hateful person,” Carlson said. “But he needed help.”
Boelter was a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, Carlson told KARE, though he claimed he was unaware of his roommate's knowledge of state politics.