Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed early Saturday by a man pretending to be a police officer, officials say.
Suspects charged with “targeted” shooting by Minnesota Sen.
Vance Boelter faces six charges, including murder and stalking, after being told he had “targeted” two Minnesota state legislators at his home.
Police are investigating a reported break-in at the home of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman.
In a statement released Wednesday, police in the Twin City suburbs of Brooklyn Park said the plywood that covered the windows behind the house “pillows open, the windows break and get admission.”
The statement added that while it appears someone has searched the home, the family doesn’t believe they’re missing anything and that evidence related to the murder has already been collected.
No suspects have been identified and police are seeking help from the community, particularly possible video evidence.
Police said investigators were on board the home after Hortman and her husband Mark and her family removed their personal belongings after investigating the murder Saturday before Dawn.
Vance Belter, 57, was arrested Sunday night after a fierce manhunt and faced both state and federal murder charges, including multiple counts of murder and stalkers.
Earlier on Saturday, Belter went to Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman’s home, shot him and his wife, Yvette, disguised as a law enforcement officer, wearing body armor and a silicone mask covering his head and face, prosecutors said. He then traveled to the homes of two other unnamed lawmakers, they say. Finally, he entered the Hortmans home and was shot both, the federal affidavit said.
An affidavit detailing Bolter’s alleged crime early in the morning of June 14th states that he intended to “kill, injured, harass and threaten.”
The killing sent shockwaves across the country following other famous violent incidents targeting civil servants, including the 2022 break-up at the home of U.S. Sen. Nancy Pelosi, in which an intruder attacked her husband with a hammer, and an arson attack on the official Pennsylvania Gob Shepiro home in April.
These attacks have led to parliamentary members of both parties seeking increased security funding and broader protection. At his request, Republican Sen. Tim Burchett of Tennessee pointed out that they were “always publicly identifiable.”
Authorities have planned extensively the alleged crimes, during which he disguises himself as a police officer, wearing uniforms, armor and hyper-realistic masks while driving an SUV with emergency lighting and license plates that read “police.”
He pretended to respond to police calls, knocked on the doors of future victims, blinding them with a flashlight before thrustting them into their homes, authorities said.
“To say his crime is like a nightmare is not an exaggeration,” said Joseph Thompson, acting US attorney for the Minnesota area.
