Armed impostor in police attire assassinates prominent Minnesota legislator
Newscast Transcript:
YO, LET'S DIVE INTO THE LATEST ON THE DISTURBING INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED EARLY THIS MORNING IN MINNESOTA. A SUSPECT DRESSED AS A POLICE OFFICER ALLEGEDLY MURDERED STATE REPRESENTATIVE MELISSA HORTMAN AND HER HUSBAND, MARK, AS WELL AS INJURING TWO OTHER POLITICIANS AND THEIR SPOUSES.
Clay Masters, our man in St. Paul, has the latest. Hey, Clay, what's the skinny on this situation?
CLAY MASTERS: Yo, what's good? So, the suburbs where this all went down ain't that far apart. Officers received a call to Senator Hoffman's house, found him and his wife shot. They then headed to Speaker Hortman's residence, where they saw a suspect dressed as an officer in a police SUV. Boom, he open-fired on the officers, then went back inside. The officers found Mark's body, tried to save him, but he was already gone. They used a drone to find Melissa's body. Senator Hoffman was taken to the hospital, and we hear he's in stable condition.
HOST: Damn, that's heavy. So, what's the deal with finding this suspect?
MASTERS: Just finished a press conference, the suspect's name is Vance Boelter, and they've shared some pics of him wearing a cowboy hat. He was in the twin cities, possibly leaving the metro. The head of the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Boelter had some overlap in public meetings with Senator Hoffman, but they don't know the nature of that relationship or if they knew each other. Boelter was on the loose, and they found a list of potential targets, including U.S. Senator Tina Smith and the state's Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats, in his car. The authorities haven't ruled out the possibility of accomplices.
HOST: Andersen, this happened on a day with protests across the state and nation. What's the word on the street about reactions to these shootings?
MASTERS: People are kinda shell-shocked and pissed off, man. Politicians from all sides are expressing their outrage. The rallies scheduled for today went on, despite safety concerns, with thousands attending. Governor Walz was supposed to speak at the one in St. Paul but did not. Hortman was a prominent politician, serving as Speaker of the House from 2019 up until this year. She was respected by both parties and played a key role in navigating a closely divided legislature and contentious year this year.
HOST: Thanks for the update, Clay. Appreciate it.
MASTERS: No problem, bro. Keep it real.
Enrichment Data:
Details on the Suspect:
*The suspect's name is Vance Boelter, and he was arrested near Green Isle, Sibley County, after a 24-hour manhunt[1][3][4] that ended on June 15, 2025. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest[1][5].
Targeted Individuals:
*U.S. Senator Tina Smith and the state's Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats, were on the list of potential targets the suspect had in his vehicle[5]. The authorities haven't ruled out the possibility of accomplices.
Sources:[1] [Walter, Peter (2025-06-15). "Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman, Husband Dead After Shooting Spectacle". MINNPOST. Retrieved 2025-06-15.][2] ["Meanwhile, chaos at the Capitol—a shooting" (2025-06-15). Minnesota Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-15.][3] ["Search for Minn. shooting suspect scale as leads dry up" (2025-06-15). Startribune. Retrieved 2025-06-15.][4] ["Minnesota Legislature Braces for Chaos Ahead of Potential No King's Day Protests" (2025-06-15). MPR News. Retrieved 2025-06-15.][5] [__"Call 1-800-CALL-FBI for any tips" (2025-06-15). FBI Minneapolis. Retrieved 2025-06-15.]
Public safety concerns escalated as Vance Boelter, the confirmed suspect in the shooting of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, was on the run. Politics played a role in the investigation, as U.S. Senator Tina Smith and the state's Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats, were identified as potential targets on Boelter's list. The crime-and-justice situation was further complicated by the possibility of accomplices. General-news outlets reported that reactions to the shootings were varied, with protests continuing across the state despite safety concerns.
