Suspect In Minnesota Lawmaker Assassination Is Ex-Aide of Governor Tim Walz: Report
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Vance Luther Boelter, who reportedly impersonated a police officer and shot US Senator John Hoffman and Representative Melissa Hortman, was a former appointee of Governor Tim Walz.
The suspect of the shocking Minnesota shootings – where a US Representative was killed and a Senator was shot and wounded – has been identified as a former appointee of Governor Tim Walz, according to police sources.
US Senator John Hoffman and US Representative Melissa Hortman, both Democrats, were shot along with their spouses by a gunman impersonating a law enforcement officer. Hortman and her husband were killed, while Hoffman and his wife received multiple injuries but are expected to survive.
Walz called it a politicaly-motivated attack at a time of deep political divisions in the United States. The suspect, identified as Vance Luther Boelter, was currently at large as a massive manhunt is underway, according to New York Post.
Boelter, 57, was appointed by Walz in 2019 to serve a four-year stint on the Governor's Workforce Development Board, according to legal documents. He previously served on the Governor's Workforce Development Council in 2016 under former Governor Mark Dayton.
Boelter had fliers with the words 'No Kings" in his car, a reference to Saturday's planned protests against the Trump Administration, as well as a 'manifesto" and a list of other politicians' names, said police, who briefly cornered the shooter at Hortman's home before the suspect fled.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Hoffman and his wife were shot first, and as police investigated, Hortman and her husband were shot about 90 minutes later.
'This was an act of targeted political violence," Walz told reporters. 'Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint."
US President Donald Trump reacted to the shooting, saying such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States. 'I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers. Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law," he said.
First Published:
June 14, 2025, 23:31 IST
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