Feds: Boelter stopped at two other lawmakers’ homes between shootings of Hoffmans, Hortmans
Jun 16, 2025 | 2:32 pm ET
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CHAMPLIN, MINNESOTA - JUNE 15: Bullet holes are seen in the door outside the home of DFL State Sen. John Hoffman on June 15, 2025 in Champlin, Minnesota. Hoffman and his wife were shot and hospitalized yesterday morning. DFL State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were also shot and killed in a separate incident. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said during a press conference that the shooting "appears to be a politically motivated assassination." (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The man accused of killing DFL House leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, and shooting DFL state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, went to the homes of two additional state lawmakers in the early hours of Saturday morning, federal officials said Monday.
Vance Boelter, 57, is facing several state and federal charges for the murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman and the shootings of John and Yvette Hoffman, and related other crimes. The Hoffmans survived but remained hospitalized.
Boelter’s path took him, in total, to the homes of four state lawmakers in the northwest metro of the Twin Cities before he got in a shootout with police officers outside the Hortmans’ home in Brooklyn Park and fled the scene.
Boelter was captured Sunday evening by state and federal agents in a field about a mile from his home in Green Isle, about an hour west of the Twin Cities, following a 43-hour manhunt.
Boelter maintained notebooks with a list of Democratic elected officials, including Hortman and Hoffman, along with addresses and the names of abortion providers. He has been described by those who knew him as a Christian who voted for President Donald Trump, who was facing financial hardship after quitting his job to embark on business ventures in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Federal authorities say that after Boelter shot the Hoffmans, he drove to a home in Maple Grove belonging to a state representative. Boelter, dressed in a fake law enforcement uniform and wearing a mask, knocked on the door and said “This is the police. Open the door,” according to surveillance footage from the home referenced in federal charging documents.
The representative and her family were not at home. No one answered the door.
Authorities declined to name the representative who lived at the house. Maple Grove is split into two House districts — one represented by Republican Rep. Kristin Robbins, and the other by DFL Rep. Kristin Bahner.
As word spread about the shooting of the Hoffmans, a New Hope police officer drove to the local state senator’s house to check on the lawmaker. The New Hope police officer spotted what looked like a police SUV parked down the block from the senator’s home. Assuming it was another officer dispatched to provide protection, the New Hope officer pulled up next to the SUV.
Boelter was inside the vehicle, likely still wearing the silicone mask that he wore as he shot the Hoffmans, said Joe Thompson, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota. As the New Hope officer attempted to speak with Boelter, Boelter stared straight ahead and didn’t respond. The officer then drove down the block to the senator’s house, and Boelter left.
New Hope is represented by DFL state Sen. Ann Rest, and in a statement Monday, she thanked law enforcement for saving her life.
“I have been made aware that the shooting suspect was parked near my home early Saturday morning. I am so grateful for the heroic work of the New Hope Police Department and its officers. Their quick action saved my life,” Rest said.
Boelter then drove to the Hortmans’ in Brooklyn Park, the federal charging documents allege. A notebook recovered from his home included notes about the Hortman family and home.
Brooklyn Park police, responding to the same call for protection following the Hoffmans’ shooting, arrived on the scene moments before Boelter fired his gun as he entered the home through the front door. Boelter escaped through the back of the house, and police officers found Melissa and Mark Hortman — and their dog — inside the home with fatal gunshot wounds.
Here’s a timeline of events, according to federal and state charging documents, and local reporting:
June 9, 2025
Boelter purchased a flashlight, tactical rifle case, ammunition and materials used to create a fake “POLICE” license plate for his SUV, according to a Fleet Farm receipt found by police in Boelter’s north Minneapolis home.
Saturday, June 14
2:06 a.m.: The Hoffmans’ daughter called 911 to report that her parents had been shot.
2:24 a.m.: Boelter arrives at the home of a state representative in Maple Grove and rings the doorbell multiple times. “This is the police. Open the door,” he repeated. No one answered; the family was not home.
2:36 a.m.: A New Hope police officer arrives at the home of Sen. Ann Rest in New Hope to conduct a safety check. There, she encountered Boelter in his SUV, parked down the block from the home. The officer, believing the car was a legitimate law enforcement vehicle, attempted to speak with Boelter, but he did not engage with her. The officer then parked at Rest’s house and waited for other officers to arrive; by the time they arrived, Boelter was gone.
3:30 a.m.: Brooklyn Park police arrive at the Hortmans’ home to conduct a safety check. There, they saw a black SUV resembling a cop car with its lights flashing. Officers saw Boelter standing in front of the house, then firing shots as he entered the home.
Officers then moved to the front doorway, where they attempted to provide medical assistance to Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Boelter fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle.
6:03 a.m.: Boelter texted his childhood friend and roommate saying that he would be “gone for a while” and “may be dead shortly,” the Star Tribune reported.
6:18 a.m.: Boelter texted his wife and other family members in a group chat, writing that he “went to war last night” and that “there’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around.”
Around 7:00 a.m.: After stopping by his north Minneapolis home, Boelter encountered a stranger at a bus stop in the neighborhood and asked to purchase an electric bike from him. The two took a bus to the man’s house, where Boelter also asked to buy the man’s Buick sedan. The man agreed, and they took the Buick to a U.S. Bank in Robbinsdale, where Boelter withdrew $2200, and gave $900 to the man for the bike and car.
Sunday, June 15
2:30 a.m.: Law enforcement received information about a possible sighting of a man riding an e-bike about two miles away from Boelter’s Green Isle home.
Midday: Law enforcement officials send out an emergency alert in the area of Faxon Township, Sibley County, after locating Boelter’s abandoned Buick within miles of his home. Teams of officers from dozens of agencies fan out across the area, searching homes and rural areas for Boelter.
9:10 p.m. State leaders apprehend Boelter in a field in Green Isle. He was armed, but surrendered without any use of force.
Saint Paul, MN