CHICAGO (WLS) — Gov. JB Pritzker clarifies that he is not among the individuals listed by law enforcement following the arrest of alleged Minnesota lawmaker shooter Vance Boelter.
Police found one list of lawmakers from Minnesota and another less formal list that contained names of Illinois politicians.
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Pritzker, in coordination with the Illinois State Police, has engaged in discussions with Illinois legislators regarding security measures they could potentially implement. Investigations suggest that the list found was related to individuals searched online rather than a targeted hit list.
Still, there are concerns about the possibility of copycat attacks.
Pritzker says he’s been briefed by the FBI and Illinois State Police about the murder and shootings of Minnesota politicians and their spouses.
While the list contained numerous Minnesota Democratic politicians that may have been targets, the suspect also possessed a separate assortment of individuals, including politicians from Illinois, described by the governor as a miscellaneous collection.
“They recovered devices and other papers that had on them 600 names, more than 600 names,” Pritzker said. “There are Illinois folks, like Iowa and others, but very few. And again, no one, the FBI specifically said to me that these people are not targets.”
Pritzker was in Minnesota just hours before the shooting happened, serving as the keynote speaker at a Democratic Party gala on Friday night that was attended by Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were both shot and killed.
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“I got a call very early in the morning on Saturday from Gov. Walz, who is a good friend, and called me to let me know what had happened just a couple few hours earlier,” Pritzker said.
According to an FBI affidavit, agents recovered weapons in the suspect’s car, along with a spiral notebook with notes about websites for finding people’s addresses.
Lawmakers in Illinois are denouncing the violence, and leaders are warning members to be vigilant.
“This type of cold-blooded, calculated execution is a level that, in someone’s home, in the middle of the night, is a level I’m unaware of before,” said state Sen. John Curran, Senate Republican leader.
“We continue to lift them up because violence has no place in our public discourse, and that’s why we continue to, in Illinois, continue to lift up. And even when we disagree, we are able to be disagreeable civilly,” said state Sen. Elgie Simms, a Democrat representing Chicago.
But there are some concerns about possible copycat crimes in Illinois or elsewhere.
“Copycat is always a concern. You know, when things like this receive media coverage, unfortunately some people view that as an example of how to be infamous. So, that is something that we take very seriously,” Curran said.
The Illinois State Police says it is vetting information found in the suspect’s paperwork and electronics as it relates to Illinois politicians, and will keep them informed as additional information become available.
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