Authorities have named Vance Luther Boelter, 57, as a suspect in the shootings that killed a top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her husband, as well as another shooting that wounded a Democratic state senator and his wife.
Authorities said they do not know whether other people were involved.
The gunman, who authorities said fled police after a shoot-out, was described in an alert as a white man with brown hair wearing black body armour who “may misrepresent himself as law enforcement”.
At a news conference today, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent Drew Evans said authorities “still don’t know if additional people are involved”.
Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were fatally shot at their home in Brooklyn Park, near Minneapolis early on Saturday (local time) in what Democratic Governor Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination”.
Democratic State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman were seriously wounded in another shooting.
The Hoffmans were shot early Saturday (local time) by the same suspect, according to Evans. The couple were found by police and taken to a hospital, where they underwent surgery for gunshot wounds.
There is no update on John Hoffman’s condition, Evans said.
“The last information we had is that he was out of surgery and was in stable condition at that time but that he certainly experienced significant injuries. So we’ll have to continue to monitor that,” Evans said at a news conference.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to US$50,000 ($83,000) for information leading to Boelter’s arrest and conviction.
In a rare bipartisan gesture, the entire Minnesota congressional delegation issued a joint statement to decry the shootings of the lawmakers.
“Today we speak with one voice to express our outrage, grief and condemnation of this horrible attack on public servants. There is no place in our democracy for politically-motivated violence,” the lawmakers said.
The statement was signed by Democratic Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith; Democratic Representatives Angie Craig, Kelly Morrison, Betty McCollum and Ilhan Omar; and Republican Representatives Tom Emmer, Brad Finstad, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber.
Evans said officers responded at about 2am to the shooting at the Hoffman residence in Champlin. Officers in nearby Brooklyn Park received a call about the shooting at the Hortman residence at about 3.35am, he said.
Brooklyn Park police responding to the shooting at the Hortman home found the gunman and exchanged gunfire with them, Evans said. The individual escaped during the melee, he said.
Authorities said there is an extensive manhunt under way involving the FBI and state agencies. Residents in Brooklyn Park remain under a shelter-in-place order, which went out early on Saturday.
The assailant was driving a car equipped with emergency lights that looked “exactly like” an SUV squad car, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. The individual also wore a vest with a taser and a badge, Bruley added. “If they were in this room, you would assume that they are a police officer,” he said.
When officers searched the suspect’s vehicle, they said they found flyers for the “No Kings” rally that was planned in Minneapolis. They also found a list with the names of prominent abortion rights advocates in Minnesota, including many Democratic lawmakers who have been outspoken about the issue, according to a source who had seen the list but was not authorised to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.
Investigators are looking into Boelter’s apparent connection to a private security company, saying it would have given him “familiarity ... with some of the tactics” used in the attack, Evans said. “We’ll be exploring that more fully.”
Online profiles associated with Boelter’s name and likeness show he marketed himself as a businessman experienced in food service and home security who had been among dozens of people serving on a state workforce development board, the Post reported.
Boelter is a businessman with experience in food service companies and in security, who had spent several years working in Africa and said he sought to spread Christianity to “Islamic militants”, according to a LinkedIn profile featuring his name and image and other traces of his activity online. Minnesota governors have at least twice appointed him to serve on a state workforce development board.
Walz in 2019 tapped Boelter for a four-year term on the governor’s Workforce Development Board, which represents key leaders from business, education, labour, community-based organisations and government. Democratic Governor Mark Dayton had appointed him to the same board in 2016. The board has about 60 members, who are not paid.
Investigators said they are looking into Boelter’s apparent connection to Praetorian Guard Security Services, which could have given him familiarity with tactics used in the attack, Evans said.
The National Abortion Federation said it is providing additional security to its members while Boelter remains at large.
US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the recent shooting targeting lawmakers in Minnesota, according to a statement issued on Saturday morning.
“I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers. Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law,” said Trump’s statement, shared online by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place,” the statement said.
Trump later participated in a military parade and celebration in Washington marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army.
Thousands of people showed up to the “No Kings” rally in northeast Minneapolis despite warnings from state officials, including Walz and law enforcement, not to attend any political demonstrations held in the state until the gunman is apprehended.
The “No Kings” organisers had also cancelled the rally earlier in the day after news of the shootings that targeted state lawmakers.
Minnesota House Speaker Republican Lisa Demuth said she is “horrified” by the shootings.
“I am horrified by the evil attack that took place overnight, and heartbroken beyond words by the loss of Speaker-Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark,” Demuth said.
Ken Martin, who headed the Minnesota state Democratic Party until he was elected chair of the Democratic National Committee in February, said that the lawmakers targeted in the shootings were “not just names” but long-time friends and colleagues.
“This morning, like so many Minnesotans, my heart is broken,” Martin said in a statement. “Melissa, Mark, John, and Yvette – these are not just names, and this is not just politics. These are people. They’re long-time friends to me and Jenn and so many others in Minnesota. They have children, loved ones, neighbours and friends.
Martin – who was chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, or DFL Party, from 2011 to earlier this year – honoured Hortman as “a leader in every sense of the word,” citing her work in bringing free lunch for the state’s schoolchildren and protecting reproductive rights in the state.
“She led our state legislature with humour, grace, and determination to get things done for Minnesotans across the state. She wasn’t only a leader – she was a damn good legislator and Minnesotans everywhere will suffer because of this loss,” Martin said.
“This senseless violence must end,” Martin said. “These heinous murders are a reflection of the extremism and political violence that have been fomented in our country. Lawmakers should be able to do their job without fear for their lives.”
Klobuchar said she is devastated by the killing of Hortman, whom she called “a good friend”.
“We started in politics at the same time, and I still remember the two of us going door to door in her first legislative campaign,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion.”
Latest developments in an increasingly bloody confilct.