The man accused of shooting two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses over the weekend went to the homes of two other lawmakers that night, federal authorities revealed Monday.
“It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson told reporters at a press conference in Minneapolis.
Thompson said one of those lawmakers was away on vacation. The other, according to a criminal complaint obtained and uploaded by The Washington Post, was the subject of a wellness check that likely saved their life.
An officer encountered the suspect, Vance Boelter, in his parked car outside the home and mistook him for law enforcement, though Boelter didn’t respond to the officer when she tried to speak to him, so she continued on to the house. When she returned from the welfare check, Boelter was gone.
Boelter surrendered to authorities Sunday after a two-day search. He is accused of fatally shooting the state’s Democratic House Speaker, Melissa Hortman, and her husband. He is also accused of shooting Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, who were expected to survive the attack.
Boelter has been charged with a litany of federal and state crimes, including murder and stalking charges. The criminal complaint details a “campaign of stalking and violence,” including researching and compiling a list of potential targets — comprised mostly of Democrats, abortion advocates and providers — and allegedly obtaining materials to disguise his vehicle.
His ruse included wearing a mask and vest while posing as a police officer. Police said he first arrived at the Hoffman home, where he shot the senator and his wife before fleeing. Their daughter called emergency services.
Boelter, per the complaint, then visited the home of the vacationing lawmaker. He rang the doorbell numerous times, continuing to pose as an officer and claiming he had a warrant. Eventually, he left and went to the home of the lawmaker who was subject to a wellness check. By this point, authorities responding to the Hoffman shooting had sent officers to select lawmakers’ homes for checks.
Officers were approaching the Hortman home when they saw Boelter standing near the front door. According to the complaint, Boelter then entered and shot Hortman and her husband, as well as the family dog, before fleeing out the back door to avoid apprehension.
Authorities in Green Isle, Minnesota, later found another vehicle associated with Boelter. The search then focused on Boelter’s property in the area, Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Monday.
At the press conference, Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty said while the office filed charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder to get their warrant for Boelter’s arrest, there will be an upgraded charge of first-degree murder when prosecutors go before a grand jury.
“It is a frightening time we are living in,” she said. “Political violence is prevalent, and the way that we talk to and about each other has raised the tension to unfathomable levels. We cannot continue on in this way,” Moriarty said.
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Nuha Dolby is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.