The enormous search for the man suspected of killing shooting two Minnesota lawmakers came to an end on Sunday evening when he was apprehended by police, according to officials.
Vance Boelter, 57, was apprehended near his property in Green Isle, Minnesota. He was discovered on a trail by a camera early Sunday and later apprehended, police said during a press conference.
Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol said that when authorities approached Boelter in the woods, he surrendered peacefully.
“The suspect crawled to law enforcement teams and was placed under arrest at that point in time,” Geiger told reporters.
According to sources, Boelter was transferred to an undisclosed police facility after his detention and is currently being interviewed.
Boelter is accused of fatally shooting Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as a second gun attack on Sen. John Hoffman and his spouse.
During a press conference on Sunday night, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz condemned Rep. Hortman’s killing, saying, “One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota.” The governor commended law enforcement partners for their help in apprehending the suspect, saying, “This is a great example of coordination and collaboration.”
Police described it as the “largest manhunt in Minnesota state history,” with Boelter apprehended 43 hours after the shootings happened.
The twin attacks in Champlin and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on Saturday resulted in the discovery of an alleged target list of dozens of Minnesota Democrats, including Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, and state Attorney General Keith Ellison, according to law enforcement sources.
During a press conference Sunday evening, police claimed a hat thought to belong to the suspect was discovered near his accused vehicle. Police discovered many items of evidence related to the ongoing investigation in the vehicle that were not on the purported target list.
The discovery of the hat led officials to suspect Boelter was in the region.
Police said Boelter had made contact with people, but they were trying to figure out if he was getting any help while on the run from law police. “All options are on the table,” stated Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, earlier Sunday.
The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter’s arrest.
According to authorities, Boelter had a nationwide warrant for his arrest on a state level and a federal warrant for unauthorized flight to avoid punishment.
Boelter is suspected of breaking into the politicians’ residences by impersonating a police officer and arriving in a vehicle that resembled a police cruiser with flashing emergency lights, according to officials.
The shootings occurred around 2 a.m. Saturday, when Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times at their Champlin, Minnesota, home, according to authorities.
According to authorities, state Rep. Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their Brooklyn Park home shortly after the Hoffman killing.
Police believe the perpetrator opened fire on the victims while wearing a rubber mask, according to reports.
Following the gunshot at Hoffman’s home, authorities were dispatched to Hortman’s home to check on her condition, officials said. At approximately 3:35 a.m., officers arrived at the apartment and encountered the gunman. The suspect and the officers exchanged shots before the suspect fled on foot, leaving behind his phony police car, where detectives discovered his target list, authorities said.
According to court papers in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hoffman’s child was the first to call and report that their parents had been shot.
Sen. Hoffman and his wife were awake and out of surgery, according to two associates who spoke with ABC News on Sunday.
Yvette Hoffman is cognizant and “doing relatively well,” while John Hoffman is alert and recovering from a collapsed lung, according to his associates. One source believes Sen. Hoffman was shot many times.
“Everybody is cautiously optimistic,” one of the insiders stated.
