Accused perpetrator in Minnesota shootings confronted with multiple murder charges at both federal and state levels
Base Article (Human-like Rewrite):
YO, LISTEN UP:
A shady character, Vance Boelter, is in the slammer for allegedly offing a Minnesota state rep and her husband, as well as shooting two other lawmakers and their significant others. The 57-year-old was nabbed on Sunday in some rural-ass Minnesota spot. We'll be hearing from a state rep who got a heads-up that her life was on the line later, and a former Secret Service agent will spill about lingering dangers. But first, let's hear the lowdown from the prosecutors.
LETS GET IT:
NPR's Meg Anderson is here, so Meg, Minnesota's acting AG called the situation in Minnesota a goddamn political assassination. What's the deal with Vance Boelter?
MEG ANDERSON: Boelter's facing a slew of charges, kiddo. Six federal charges, including two counts of murder for the deaths of Minnesota state rep Melissa Hortman and her old man. Those charges carry the death penalty if he gets convicted. He's also got federal charges for targeting state senator John Hoffman and his missus. At the state level, officials slapped Boelter with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, but they said they'd pursue first-degree murder charges.
LETS CUT TO THE CHASE:
Feds dropped more deets the day before yesterday. What did they say?
ANDERSON: They paint one hell of a grim picture, man. Boelter supposedly hit Hoffman's crib first, where a home security camera caught the exchange on video. The clip shows a bastard wearing a realistic silicone mask and dressed like a cop. He knocked, yelled cop, and told 'em to open up. Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson described what happened next during a presser.
JOSEPH THOMPSON (voice recording): Senator Hoffman and his old lady, Yvette, opened the door. When they did, Boelter shined a flashlight in their peepers and said there was some shooting reported in the house. Boelter asked if they had any weapons. When Boelter lowered his flashlight, those good people realized he wasn't a cop.
ANDERSON: The alleged perp began blasting away right after that, and Hoffman's daughter, Hope, called 911. After that shooting, Boelter allegedly moved on to the homes of two other state legislators but didn't get to 'em. Then he supposedly went to Hortman's crib, where officials claim he killed her and her husband.
OLD NEWS:
Authorities claim this was a targeted political attack. Why are they saying that?
ANDERSON: 'Cause they found a damn notebook in the alleged shooter's car. It had a hit list with the names of at least 45 lawmakers and officials from Minnesota and several other states, along with some bigwigs in DC. Most of 'em were Democrats. FBI special agent Alvin Winston had this to say during the presser.
ALVIN WINSTON (voice recording): This was a goddamn targeted attack against individuals who answered the call to public service. I'll say this clearly; political violence has no place in this country.
ANDERSON: Police nabbed six guns from the scene. Most of 'em were in the abandoned vehicle, and they think if the alleged shooter hadn't had to scram, he'd have kept gunning for more politicians.
WHAT'S THE STORY NOW?
Boelter's in federal custody. He's gonna have a preliminary hearing on June 27, where a judge will decide if he gets bail.
THANKS, MEG!
"This transcript may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record."
- In light of the recent political assassination in Minnesota, as referred to by the acting AG, it's worth noting that the alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, is not just accused of murder but also of targeting specific lawmakers and officials, as revealed by a hit list found in his car.
- The ongoing investigation into the Minnesota political assassination has uncovered a wider scope of potential danger, with Vance Boelter's hit list including not only Minnesota lawmakers but also officials from several other states and bigwigs in DC, primarily Democrats, indicating a potential general-news and crime-and-justice issue beyond the local politics.
