Man suspected of shooting Minnesota lawmaker arrested after huge pursuit

A 57-year-old man was arrested in Minnesota, USA for allegedly killing a democratic lawmaker and her husband.

The arrest Sunday night comes a huge two-day hunt after the death of Minnesota Democrat Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. Gov. Tim Walz called it a “political assassination.”

Police said Vance Luther Boelter was armed when arrested in a rural area west of Minneapolis but gave up himself peacefully when challenged.

The suspects allegedly shot and killed Democratic state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who are both awake in the hospital now.

Mrs. Hoffman said on Sunday that both felt “lucky to be alive”.

Boelter was detained after investigators discovered a car he used in Sibley County, about 50 kilometers (80 kilometers) from the murder scene in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

The Air and SWAT team was deployed to arrest the suspect, known as the largest raid in Minnesota history.

During his arrest, no police were injured and officials said they were not looking for any other suspects.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a press conference with other local officials Sunday night that the attack was an “unspeakable move” that “changed Minnesota.”

“It can’t be the norm. It’s not the way we deal with political divisions,” Walz said.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey praised the “skills and heroism” of the law enforcement agencies after Boelter’s arrest.

He added: “Political violence is abomination and it goes against the most basic moral structure of our democracy. It is crucial that those who take responsibility under the law are crucial.”

Boelter was accused of posing as a police officer on Saturday and then exchanging fires with police officers and fleeing the suburbs of Minneapolis.

Melissa Hortman served in the Minnesota House for 20 years and served as a spokesperson for the chamber from 2019 to 2025.

Former politically appointed Boelter was once a member of the same state as Hoffmann Workforce Development Commission.

According to his online resume, he is a security contractor and religious missionary who has worked in Africa and the Middle East.

According to Facebook photos, Boelter once preached the pastor in a church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Investigators reportedly found that the suspect was believed to be a list of “targets” in vehicles driven for alleged shootings.

Drew Evans, the head of the Minnesota Criminal Arrest Bureau, told reporters that he would not describe the notebook found in the car as a “manifesto” because it is not a “paper about various ideologies and works.”

Local media reported that the names include Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

In a press conference after Boelter’s arrest, Evans did not designate who made a name for himself on the list, but said state officials had contacted authorities in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Nebraska and Iowa so that they could “notify the individuals on the list.”