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

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Court documents reveal that Vance Boelter, accused of murdering a Minnesota state legislator and her spouse while injuring another lawmaker and his partner, had a collection of weapons and a list of intended targets in his car.

According to reports, 57-year-old Boelter pretended to be a law enforcement officer and used a Ford SUV, which was registered under his name and fitted with police lights, to execute the assaults. These attacks were directed at Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their Brooklyn Park residence in Minneapolis early Saturday. This incident occurred following the alleged shooting of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their Champlin home in a connected incident.

After a gunfire exchange with authorities, Boelter abandoned the imitation police vehicle at the Brooklyn Park crime scene and managed to evade capture, as detailed in a criminal complaint filed by 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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