Minn. suspect went to 4 officials' homes in plot to 'kill,' prosecutor says: Live updates

The man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers went to the homes of two other state officials the morning he launched a targeted "political assassination," a federal prosecutor said Monday.

Joseph Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, did not give the names of the two lawmakers but said the suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, went to their houses after he shot and wounded State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in the early morning hours Saturday.

A federal affidavit released Monday says Boelter "embarked on a planned campaign of stalking and violence, designed to inflict fear, injure and kill members of the Minnesota state legislature and their families."

The suspect's final stop was in Brooklyn Park, where he shot and killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, inside their home, Thompson said.

Boelter was arrested Sunday night in rural Sibley County, about 50 miles away from Minneapolis, after he surrendered to law enforcement in a wooded area near his home. He faces six federal charges, including multiple counts of murder and stalking, opening the possibility of the death penalty if he's convicted.

Minnesota state prosecutors said they plan to pursue first-degree murder charges against Boelter. Those charges would carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

"This was a political assassination," Thompson said.

Boelter charged with federal murder counts

Thompson announced multiple federal charges against Boelter on Monday, including murder, making him eligible for the death penalty.

In all, federal prosecutors announced six counts including stalking, murder and several firearms related offenses.

Boelter "extensively planned his stalking, murders and attempted murders," the federal affidavit says.

Boelter went to the home of other state officials, U.S. attorney says

Thompson said Boelter went to the house of at least two other state lawmakers on the night of the attack.

After shooting Hoffman and his wife, he traveled to Maple Grove, Minnesota, and knocked on the door of another state legislator. The representative was not home, so Boelter left, Thompson said.

Boelter then went to New Hope, Minnesota, to the home of a state senator. When an officer arrived at the scene, the officer saw Boeltor's SUV and attempted to speak with him. "He just sat there and stared straight ahead," Thompson said. The officer went to the state senator's home and waited for another officer to arrive. When they did, Boelter was gone.

After that he traveled to Brooklyn Park, where he is accused of killing Melissa and Mark Hortman.

Minnesota prosecutors plans to file first-degree murder charges

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a news conference Monday that her office plans to pursue first degree-murder charges against Boelter.

She said Boelter was initially charged with second-degree murder counts because they are "the highest charges we can file by complaint, and it needed to be done quickly to get the warrant out." Now that he is in custody, she plans to obtain a grand jury indictment and upgrade the charges.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Boelter would face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Capital punishment was abolished in Minnesota in the early 1900s.

Minnesota shooting suspect in jail; officials consider federal charges

Boelter remains in custody after he was booked into the Hennepin County Jail on Monday around 1 a.m., according to jail records.

While he is currently charged with four counts of murder and attempted murder, he may face additional charges in connection with the shootings.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is reviewing whether Boelter will face federal charges, Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said at a news conference.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, the suspected gunman in the shooting deaths of a Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker and her husband, appears in this June 16, 2025, mugshot provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

What led to Vance Boelter's arrest?

Authorities on Sunday discovered an abandoned vehicle belonging to Boelter near where he lived in Sibley County. A law enforcement officer in the area also reported seeing Boelter running into the woods.

Authorities set up a large perimeter and over 20 SWAT teams began searching on the ground and by helicopter. Police later received a tip that a man was seen in the wooded area, allowing search teams to tighten their perimeter.

Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol said Boelter eventually crawled out to law enforcement and was taken into custody. He was armed but no shots were fired, Geiger said.

Complaint reveals new info about lawmaker shootings in Minnesota

Just after 2 a.m. on Saturday, police received a call from Hoffman's adult daughter reporting that “a masked person had come to their door and then shot their parents," according to the Hennepin County charging document.

Law enforcement arrived at the home in Champlin, about 20 miles outside Minneapolis, and discovered Jeff and Yvette Hoffman with multiple gunshot wounds.

After learning that the Champlin shooting involved a lawmaker, the Brooklyn Park Police Department proactively sent patrol officers to the Hortmans' home around 3:30 a.m.

There, officers saw a Ford SUV with "police-style lights." They then spotted Boelter as he shot Mark Hortman through the open front door of the home, the complaint said. Police opened fire and Boelter shot back before he fled out into a wooded area.

Inside the vehicle, investigators found three AK-47 rifles, a handgun as well as a list of names and addresses of other public officials, court records say.

Who is Vance Boelter? Suspect in Minnesota shootings

Boelter has connections with evangelical ministries and claimed online to be a security expert with experience overseas, including in Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, online postings show. His LinkedIn also said he worked as a general manager for 7-Eleven until 2021.

In 2019, Boelter was appointed by Walz, along with dozens of others, to serve on the governor's workforce development board. Hoffman also served on the state board, though it's unclear if the two ever interacted.

In a February 2023 video, Boelter can be seen preaching at an evangelical church in the Democratic Republic of Congo, telling a large audience he has five children and that he "gave his life" to Jesus at age 17. In several other videos, Boelter tells churchgoers that some churches in the U.S. "don’t know abortion is wrong" and that "people don’t know what sex they are" because of the devil.

Authorities have not said what motivated Boelter to carry out the attack. Authorities previously said it appeared Boelter targeted legislators who are abortion rights supporters based on writings he left behind, but later clarified that the writings were not a "traditional manifesto."

Officials said they met with Boelter’s family, including his wife, but said that none of his family members were taken into custody.

Minnesota shooting suspect arrested in state's largest manhunt

Brooklyn Park police Chief Mark Bruley said at a news conference that the search for Boelter was the largest manhunt in state history.

"This was a very dangerous individual for our community and that's why so many resources and such a great collaboration came together to focus on removing him from society," Bruley said, adding that focus has now turned to putting together a case against Boelter.

"Now begins the hard work of looking at what the motive is," Bruley said.

Where is Sibley County, Minnesota?

Sibley County is located in south-central Minnesota and is about 50 miles away from Minneapolis.

The massive manhunt focused on Sibley County because Boelter has a residence just outside Green Isle, a small community with a population of about 520, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

It was in a wooded area near his Green Isle residence where Boelter surrendered to law enforcement officers, officials said.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minn. suspect went to 4 officials' homes in plot to 'kill,' prosecutor says: Live updates