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Suspected gunman in Minnesota attacks detained, ending search

Above: Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, left, speaks Saturday about Vance Luther Boelter, a suspect in the fatal shooting of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at a news conference in Blaine, Minn. At left: Bullet holes are seen in the door outside the home of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman on Sunday in Champlin, Minn. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot at their home but survived. (Jerry Holt)
Above: Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, left, speaks Saturday about Vance Luther Boelter, a suspect in the fatal shooting of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at a news conference in Blaine, Minn. At left: Bullet holes are seen in the door outside the home of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman on Sunday in Champlin, Minn. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot at their home but survived. (Jerry Holt)
By Mike Baker, Mitch Smith, Yan Zhuang and Christina Morales New York Times

A man suspected of assassinating a Minnesota state lawmaker and shooting another was in custody Sunday, according to three officials who were briefed on the situation, ending a two-day search that rattled the state.

State officials had pursued the suspect, identified as Vance Boelter, 57, throughout the weekend, as Minnesotans reeled from the killings of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. In a separate attack, the gunman also wounded state Sen. John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in the Minneapolis suburbs.

Boelter was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the New York Times.

Investigators detained him after tactical teams conducted a search on Sunday in Sibley County, about an hour’s drive away from the site of the attacks, where investigators found a vehicle and hat belonging to the suspect.

Officials said the gunman had impersonated a police officer during the attacks, wearing a rubber mask and a bogus badge, and had a notebook that mentioned the names of about 70 potential targets that included both of the lawmakers. They said he fired at officers responding to one of the homes before escaping.

The suspect was captured near the home where he lived with his wife and children, outside of Green Isle, Minnesota. That’s roughly an hour’s drive southwest of Minneapolis and the suburbs where the shootings took place.

Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said SWAT teams and aerial units converged on Green Isle after someone reported seeing the suspect.

Chief Mark Bruley of the Brooklyn Park Police Department said the manhunt was the largest in the state’s history. There were 20 SWAT teams searching for the suspect, the chief said.

Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol said Boelter crawled to law enforcement officers and was placed in custody. No force was used in the arrest, he said.

Boelter is being charged under a state criminal warrant, and state officials are discussing with the FBI and the U.S. State Attorney’s office whether to also bring charges at the federal level, Evans said.

By carrying out the attacks disguised as a police officer, Boelter “exploited the trust our uniforms are meant to represent,” said Bob Jacobson, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Public Safety. “That betrayal was deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility.”