MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man was arrested Saturday after a statewide manhunt and has been charged with the politically motivated murder of Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the attempted murder of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Both of the elected officials targeted in the attack were members of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), the state’s affiliate of the national Democratic Party.
According to court documents, Vance Luther Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, Minnesota, disguised himself as a law enforcement officer in the early morning hours of June 14, 2025. Armed and wearing body armor, he drove to the home of Senator Hoffman. Boelter repeatedly knocked on the door, identifying himself as a police officer. When the Hoffmans opened it, they were startled to see he was wearing a facemask. As they attempted to shut the door, Boelter opened fire, shooting both Senator Hoffman and his wife multiple times.
Boelter then drove to the home of Speaker Emerita and Representative Melissa Hortman. At the same time, local law enforcement, having heard of the shooting at the Hoffman residence, responded to the Hortman household to perform a safety check. Upon arrival, officers spotted Boelter’s vehicle — a black Ford Explorer SUV outfitted with flashing police-style lights to resemble a law enforcement vehicle. Boelter was seen standing a few feet from the front door, facing the house. Moments later, he opened fire, shooting multiple rounds into the home, which struck Mr. Hortman. Boelter then rushed inside and fired again, hitting Representative Hortman multiple times. Officers attempted to render aid to both victims and pursued Boelter, who fled on foot after abandoning the SUV. Both Melissa and Mark Hortman succumbed to their injuries.
“The horrific, targeted murders of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, as well as the shooting of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, have shocked the nation and united us in grief,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “These horrific acts of violence will not go unanswered: the Department of Justice will prosecute this suspect to the fullest extent of the law and if convicted deliver severe consequences for his alleged crimes.”
A two day manhunt ensued, coordinated among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies across the state. At around 9:15 p.m. on June 15, law enforcement officers located Boelter in a field in Green Isle, Minnesota, about a mile from his family home, and took him into custody.
Police searched Boelter’s SUV and recovered five firearms, including semi-automatic, assault-style rifles, a large quantity of ammunition, and several notebooks filled with handwritten notes, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
The notes contained the names of dozens of Minnesota state and federal elected officials, many of whom were listed alongside their home addresses.
“This was a horrific act of targeted violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “A gunman, impersonating a police officer, deliberately lured public servants to their own doorstep and opened fire. A Minnesota lawmaker and her spouse were murdered in cold blood, and others wounded, simply for serving as elected officials. This is not only unacceptable — it is an attack on the democratic values that define this nation. This marked the largest manhunt in Minnesota’s history, and it would not have been possible without the extraordinary partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.”
Boelter made his first appearance in U.S. District Court today before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, ATF, and multiple local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs, Bradley M. Endicott, Matthew D. Forbes, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case.
