Minnesota lawmaker shooting suspect had cache of weapons, hit list in vehicle, court documents show

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Vance Boelter, who is accused of murdering a Minnesota state legislator and her spouse while injuring another legislator and his wife, was found with a collection of weapons and a list of targets in his car, as per legal paperwork.

Boelter, aged 57, allegedly pretended to be a law enforcement officer and drove a Ford SUV, which was under his name, that had police lights installed. He used this vehicle to attack Melissa Hortman, the Minnesota House Speaker, and her husband Mark at their residence in Brooklyn Park, Minneapolis. This incident occurred early on Saturday. Boelter is also accused of shooting State Senator John Hoffman, who is also a Democrat, and his wife Yvette at their home in Champlin, which is nearby.

After an exchange of gunfire with the police and fleeing the scene, Boelter abandoned the phony police vehicle at the crime scene in Brooklyn Park, according to a criminal complaint from the Hennepin County District Court.

Inside the vehicle, police recovered a disturbing cache of weapons, including at least three AK-47 assault rifles and a 9mm handgun, along with a manifesto that listed the names and addresses of other public officials. 

Boelter was captured Sunday night following a two-day manhunt that officials called the largest in the state’s history.

law enforcement searching wooded area

Members of law enforcement agencies gather on a road where a vehicle suspected of belonging to the shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, was found Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Authorities did not give a motive as they announced Boelter’s arrest.

Senator John A. Hoffman and Rep. Melissa Hortman

This combo of photos provided by the Minnesota Legislature shows, from left, Senator John A. Hoffman and Rep. Melissa Hortman.  (Minnesota Legislature via AP)

The Hennepin County District Court issued a criminal complaint charging Boelter with four felony counts of second-degree murder with intent (not premeditated).

All charges are felonies, and each carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of three years due to the use of a firearm.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Matt Finn and Brooke Taylor, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.

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