Authorities still searching for suspect in death of Melissa Hortman, husband

BROOKLYN PARK Minn AP A massive search stretched into its second day Sunday for a man who officials say wore a mask and posed as a police officer while fatally shooting a Democratic state lawmaker in her suburban Minneapolis home an act Gov Tim Walz called a politically motivated assassination Administration disclosed the suspect also shot and wounded a second lawmaker and was trying to flee the area Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday Sen John Hoffman also a Democrat and his wife Yvette were injured at their Champlin address about miles about kilometers away Personnel identified the suspect as -year-old Vance Boelter and the FBI issued a reward of up to for information leading to his arrest and conviction They shared a photo taken Saturday of Boelter wearing a tan cowboy hat and appealed the society to statement sightings Hundreds of law enforcement officers fanned out in the search for the suspect U S Sen Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota commented Sunday that leadership believe the shooter hasn t gone far Related Her mirthful eyes her sharp humor Colleagues remember Melissa Hortman assassinated at age We believe he s somewhere in the vicinity and that they are going to find him the Democrat mentioned Sunday on NBC s Meet the Press But right now everyone s on edge here because we know that this man will kill at a second On Sunday residents of Sibley County farm country roughly miles kilometers southwest of Minneapolis received an emergency alert via text message that one of shooter s vehicles had been located at an intersection not far from the town of Green Isle where Boelter was living Law enforcement will be going to area residences to ask to search properties the alert read Leadership had not yet given any details on a workable motive Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce enhancement board as Hoffman records show though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other The attacks prompted warnings to other state elected authorities and the cancellation of planned No Kings demonstrations against President Donald Trump though certain went ahead anyway including one that drew tens of thousands to the State Capitol in St Paul Government announced the suspect had No Kings flyers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the casualties as well as other lawmakers and officers though they could not say if he had any other specific targets A Minnesota official notified the AP the suspect s writings also contained information targeting prominent lawmakers who have been outspoken in favor of abortion rights The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the inspection was ongoing Law enforcement agents recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect s car and he was presumed to still be armed with a pistol a person familiar with the matter communicated AP The person could not publicly discuss details of the examination and spoke on condition of anonymity The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked harassed and intimidated amid deep political divisions We must all in Minnesota and across the country stand against all forms of political violence commented Walz a Democrat He also ordered flags to fly at half-staff in Hortman s honor Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America God Bless the great people of Minnesota a truly great place President Donald Trump disclosed in a message Exchange of gunfire Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Hoffmans home shortly after a m Champlin police mentioned and detected the couple with multiple gunshot wounds After seeing who the casualties were police sent officers to proactively check on Hortman s home There they encountered what appeared to be a police motorcycle and a man dressed as an officer at the door leaving the house When officers confronted him the individual at once fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire and the suspect retreated back into the home and escaped on foot Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley commented Administration believe the shooter was wearing a mask when carrying out the attacks according to a law enforcement official The FBI published photos of the suspect including an image that appears to show him wearing a mask that covered his face and head a police uniform and holding a flashlight Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the front door of Hoffman s home John and Yvette Hoffman each underwent surgery according to Walz FILE State Rep Melissa Hortman D-Brooklyn Park smiles during the nomination process before she was elected speaker of the Minnesota House as the Legislature convened in St Paul Minn Jan Hortman was shot and killed Saturday in a targeted attack Credit AP Photo Jim Mone File Two Democrats targeted Hortman had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since She led Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year s session in a power struggle with Republicans Under a power sharing agreement she turned the gavel over to Republican Rep Lisa Demuth and assumed the title speaker emerita Hortman used her position as speaker in to champion expanded protections for abortion rights including statute to solidify Minnesota s status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who expedition to the state to seek abortions and to protect providers who serve them Walz called her a formidable constituents servant a fixture and a giant in Minnesota Hortman and her husband had two adult children The initial autopsy reports from the Hennepin County Healthcare Examiner s Office gave their cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds The reports mentioned Melissa Hortman died at the scene while her husband was pronounced dead at the hospital Hoffman was first elected in and was chair of the Senate Human Services Committee which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget He and his wife have one daughter The suspect Boelter was appointed to the workforce expansion board in and then reappointed in to a four-year term that expired in state records show Corporate records show Boelter s wife filed to create a company called Praetorian Guard Defense Services LLC with the same Green Isle mailing address listed for the couple Boelter s wife is listed as president and CEO and he is listed as director of shield patrols on the company s website The website says the company provides armed assurance for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police motorcycle Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest An online resume says Boelter is a prevention contractor who has worked in the Middle East and Africa in addition to past managerial roles at companies in Minnesota Around a m Boelter texted friends to say he had made specific choices the Minnesota Star Tribune released In the messages read to reporters by David Carlson Boelter did not specify what he had done but mentioned 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 I m sorry for all the trouble this has caused Political violence Klobuchar condemned online threats and urged people Sunday to think twice before posting accusations or motives on the internet Speaking of Hortman Klobuchar informed CNN s State of the Union This is a person that did everything for the right reasons And regardless of political parties look at her face before you send out your next post Klobuchar reported Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth a Republican from Cold Spring called the attack evil and disclosed she was heartbroken beyond words by the killings Related Minnesota shootings are part of a spiraling of political violence The shootings are the latest in a series of attacks against lawmakers across parties In April a suspect set fire to the home of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro forcing him and his family to flee during the Jewish holiday of Passover The suspect noted he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he exposed him according to court documents In July Trump was grazed on the ear by one of a hail of bullets that killed a Trump supporter Two months later a man with a rifle was discovered near the president s Florida golf curriculum and arrested Other incidents include a hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in their San Francisco home and a plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap Democratic Gov Gretchen Whitmer and start a civil war Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer mentioned he solicited Capitol Police to straightaway increase measure for Klobuchar and U S Sen Tina Smith He also appealed Majority Leader John Thune a Republican to hold a briefing on member guard Speaking Sunday on CNN s Inside Politics Sunday Smith disclosed she personally felt safe and the thought of assurance details becoming the norm was unbearable But I think we are at a tipping point right now when we see these kinds of personal threats It gets worse not better she stated I don t want to think that I need to have a personal assurance detail wherever I go Karnowski shared from Minneapolis and Durkin Richer from Washington Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell Orto in Champlin Minnesota Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo New York Michael Biesecker in Washington and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed The post Executives still searching for suspect in death of Melissa Hortman husband appeared first on MinnPost