Latest news with #killingSpree
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shock Details of How Family Stopped MAGA Madman From Rampage
Minneapolis shooting survivors John and Yvette Hoffman have revealed how their daughter Hope, a prominent disability advocate, helped save their lives and alert police to a potential killing spree. The gunman, named as Vance Boelter, 57, went to the Hoffmans' house at around 2 a.m. on June 14. John Hoffman, a Democratic state senator, was hit by nine bullets, before his wife was shot eight times. The gunman then went to the home of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, killing them both. He gave himself up to police the following day and was said to have had a hit list with the names of 70 top Democrats, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Boelter faces charges of murder and attempted murder at both state and federal level, which could carry the death sentence. He will appear in court next week. John Hoffman remains in hospital in what was called a 'critical but stable' condition, while Yvette Hoffman has returned home. In a statement released by the family, the Hoffmans have offered more 'clarity' about the events of June 14, including the role their adult daughter Hope, who lives with spina bifida, played in limiting Boelter's killing spree. The family were awoken at around 2 a.m. by the sounds of 'pounding on the front door' by someone identifying themselves as a police officer. The statement reads, 'When the door was opened, all three of us were in the entryway. John initially lunged at the gunman as the weapon was pointed directly at him, getting struck nine times. As John fell, Yvette reached out to push the man and shut the door, succeeding before she was also hit eight times by gunfire.' 'Hope then rushed to shut the door and secured the lock; she got to the phone and shared with the 911 operator that Senator John Hoffman had been shot in his home. Her brave actions and quick thinking triggered the notice to public safety officials that a politically-motivated act was potentially underway.' The Hoffman family thanked medical workers and first responders, and paid respect to their friends Melissa and Mark Hortman. The statement ended with a comment on the social and political divisions in modern America. 'Choosing to work in the public sector, even in as limited a way as John's career as a senator, has always meant sacrificing a level of privacy,' the statement, which was signed by John and Yvette Hoffman, read. 'But now we are grappling with the reality that we live in a world where public service carries such risks as being targeted because someone disagrees with you or doesn't like what you stand for.' They concluded, 'As a society, as a nation, as a community, we must work together to return to a level of civility that allows us all to live peacefully. The future for our children depends on that. We will be praying for that work and appreciate all those who will join with us.' Nonprofit law firm Hof Law, which advocates for the rights of the Disabled and the Underserved, also released a statement praising Hope Hoffman. 'Ms. Hoffman's timely and decisive action is a powerful reminder that leadership in moments of crisis often comes from individuals with lived experience navigating adversity,' the statement read. 'As a person with access and functional needs, Ms. Hoffman exemplifies the type of resolve, perspective, and moral clarity that disability communities often develop through their unique journeys... Too often, society underestimates those with disabilities—yet here again, a member of the community showed strength and heroism when it mattered most."
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Illegal Albanian migrant killed two people in car rampage including dad-of-two NHS worker while on bail from immigration detention centre
An Albanian national who drove at and killed a pedestrian and a cyclist in a 'killing spree' was in the country illegally, a court heard. Emiljano Kasaj, 34, ploughed into Leo Moran as he crossed the road before hitting Joel Carriedo as he rode home from a night shift in Coventry in September 2023. Kasaj then crashed into a house and fled the scene before being arrested in a garden - later telling a cell mate he would have killed more if it wasn't for a burst tyre. At his sentencing hearing on Monday, Warwick Crown Court heard Kasaj was on bail after being arrested for immigration offences at the time of the incident. But 'nothing was done' by the Home Office when he failed to attend appointments for almost a year beforehand. Mr Moran's mother said he had been 'let down' by the Home Office. Psychiatric evidence presented to the court showed that Kasaj suffered from 'a major mental illness, the most likely diagnosis being schizophrenia' which may have been aggravated by use of cannabis or cocaine in the weeks before the incident. At the time of the killings he believed he was a 'king' who was being blackmailed by political leaders in Albania, the court heard. Kasaj, who appeared in the dock alongside an interpreter and several mental health nurses, was sentenced to life imprisonment alongside a Mental Health Act order - meaning he will initially be detained in hospital. He had pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder and two counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at an earlier hearing. The court was shown graphic CCTV footage of Mr Moran, 44, who died of a neck injury, being struck at 7.56am in Gosford Street, Coventry, while another passer-by was knocked into a building and suffered a head wound. Other footage showed the car driving off at speed with a smashed windscreen, and later travelling towards hospital worker Mr Carriedo, 47, a father-of-two. The NHS worker, whose bike was split in two by the impact, died of chest injuries after being struck head-on and knocked over a wall around seven minutes later in Woodway Lane, Coventry. The court heard Kasaj had used a false name and address to register the vehicle. Outlining the case against Kasaj, of no fixed address, prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith said psychiatrists had diagnosed the defendant with paranoid psychosis linked to schizophrenia - with him telling experts he believed he had to kill because he was being blackmailed. Illegal Albanian migrant killed two people in car rampage including dad-of-two NHS worker while on bail from immigration detention centre The Crown's barrister said of the defendant: 'Born in July 1990, he is an Albanian national with no previous convictions or cautions. 'He told the defence psychiatrist that having left school he worked at a car wash and then travelled to Athens to find work. He came to the UK about two years prior to the offences and settled in Coventry.' The court heard that Kasaj also said 'he came to England for a better life' and was in 'in the UK illegally' but did not claim benefits. Mr Grieves-Smith told the court: 'The police made inquiries about his status. Checks with Albanian authorities show he left Albania in January 2022. 'He was arrested for immigration offences in August 2022 as he had made no attempts to register and he was detained in order to be removed. 'He said he had been trafficked into the country in the back of a lorry.' The court heard Kasaj was held at Harmondsworth Detention Centre in west London and attended a hospital during that period, although the visit was not related to his mental health. On October 7 2022, the court heard, Kasaj was bailed to an address in Newfield Road, Coventry, with 'a condition to sign on' at the Solihull Immigration Centre on December 5. Mr Grieves-Smith continued: 'He failed to appear for this and all other appointments. 'So at the time he committed these offences he was subject to bail conditions imposed because of his immigration status. He was in breach of them but nothing was done about it by the Home Office.' In a cell after his arrest, Kasaj had said the burst tyre had prevented him claiming more victims and said: 'I have killed two people today. I was going to be next. It was my turn to get slaughtered.' Passing sentence, Judge Mr Justice Choudhury told Kasaj: 'On September 3 2023 you decided to kill random members of the public by mowing them down in your car. 'In the space of a few minutes you killed two people and seriously injured a third. 'It is only because you crashed your car that mercifully there were no more victims.' Describing the events as a 'killing spree', the judge said of comments made by Kasaj after his arrest: 'You therefore admitted hitting the victims intentionally with the purpose of killing them.' Accepting that the explanation for Kasaj's actions lay in his mental health problems and the 'beliefs' he held, the judge told him: 'You clearly had what the law calls an abnormality of mental functioning.' Kasaj was sentenced to life with a minimum term of nine years and four months and also given an indefinite hybrid order under mental health laws meaning he will be detained in hospital 'for as long as is necessary' given his condition. In a victim impact statement to the court, Mr Moran's mother Teresa said: 'Leo was my youngest son and we had a bond like no other. He left his mark wherever he went. 'We knew early on in the police investigation that the murderer was known to the Home Office. We later found out he was an illegal immigrant. 'Leo has been let down by the Home Office. We have all been let down by the Home Office. 'If the Home Office had done their job properly then the public of Coventry may have been saved and Leo might still be here. 'There will never be justice for Leo.' In other tributes read to the court, Mr Corriedo - whose wife Marilyn said he had been callously left to die - was described as a 'wonderful, protective and caring' husband and a devoted father.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Driver who killed two while on immigration centre bail given life term
A mentally ill driver who deliberately crashed into a cyclist and two pedestrians during a 'killing spree' has been sentenced to life imprisonment alongside a Mental Health Act order meaning he will initially be detained in hospital. Warwick Crown Court was told Albanian national Emiljano Kasaj was in the UK illegally and in breach of his bail from an immigration detention centre when he used his Mercedes to unlawfully kill passer-by Leo Moran and cyclist Joel Carriedo. A third victim was knocked into a building and suffered a head injury during what High Court Judge Mr Justice Choudhury described as 'horrendous' offences committed against innocent victims in Coventry in September 2023. Kasaj, aged 34, pleaded guilty in March this year to one count of attempted murder and two counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. His sentencing hearing was told on Monday that he was suffering from a severe paranoid illness, probably schizophrenia, at the time of the killings, falsely believing he was a 'king' who was being blackmailed by political leaders in Albania. The court heard that as he was placed into a cell after the deaths, Kasaj had said a burst tyre had prevented him claiming more victims and said: 'I have killed two people today. I was going to be next. It was my turn to get slaughtered.' Passing sentence, the judge told Kasaj: 'On September 3 2023 you decided to kill random members of the public by mowing them down in your car. 'In the space of a few minutes you killed two people and seriously injured a third. 'It is only because you crashed your car that mercifully there were no more victims.' Describing the events as a 'killing spree', the judge said of comments made by Kasaj after his arrest: 'You therefore admitted hitting the victims intentionally with the purpose of killing them.' Accepting that the explanation for Kasaj's actions lay in his mental health problems and the 'beliefs' he held, the judge told him: 'You clearly had what the law calls an abnormality of mental functioning.' Kasaj was sentenced to life with a minimum term of nine years and four months and also given an indefinite hybrid order under mental health laws meaning he will be detained in hospital 'for as long as is necessary' given his condition. Graphic CCTV footage played to the court showed 44-year-old Mr Moran, who died of a neck injury, being struck at 7.56am in Gosford Street. Other footage, presented to the court by prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith, showed the car driving off at speed with a smashed windscreen, and later travelling towards hospital worker Mr Carriedo, a married father-of-two. The 47-year-old NHS worker, whose bike was split in two by the impact, died of chest injuries after being struck head-on and knocked over a wall in Woodway Lane at 8.03am. Opening the facts of the case against Kasaj, of no fixed address, Mr Grieves-Smith said the defendant went on to crash into a house around 300 metres away and was arrested almost an hour later in a nearby garden. The court heard Kasaj had used a false name and address to register the vehicle. Mr Grieves-Smith said Kasaj was arrested for immigration offences in August 2022 as he had made no attempts to register with the authorities, and was detained in order to be removed back to Albania. Kasaj was held at Harmondsworth Detention Centre in west London but in October 2022, the court heard, he was bailed to an address in Newfield Road, Coventry, with a condition to sign on at the Solihull Immigration Centre on December 5. Mr Grieves-Smith said: 'He failed to appear for this and all other appointments.' Psychiatric evidence presented to the court showed that Kasaj suffers from 'a major mental illness, the most likely diagnosis being schizophrenia' which may have been aggravated by use of cannabis or cocaine in the weeks before the incident. In a victim impact statement to the court, Mr Moran's mother Teresa said: 'Leo was my youngest son and we had a bond like no other. He left his mark wherever he went. 'We knew early on in the police investigation that the murderer was known to the Home Office. We later found out he was an illegal immigrant. 'Leo has been let down by the Home Office. We have all been let down by the Home Office. If the Home Office had done their job properly then the public of Coventry may have been saved and Leo might still be here. 'There will never be justice for Leo.' In other tributes read to the court, Mr Corriedo – whose wife said he had been callously left to die – was described as a 'wonderful, protective and caring' husband and a devoted father.
