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.
The North Dakota man is accused of threatening federal officials in emails referring to the assassination of a prominent Minnesota legislator and attempted murder of another legislator, court records show.
The criminal charges filed in federal court on June 17 alleges that Charles Dalzel of St. Thomas, northeastern North Dakota, emailed a violent threat to someone identified as the US Attorney General’s “JP” in the North Dakota district on the evening of June 15th. The complaint did not identify “JP” by name.
An email identifying Dalzel as the sender mentioned the shooting of two Minnesota Democrats and their spouses on June 14. Minnesota Sen. Melissa Hortman and her husband were injured inside the home after being shot and killed multiple times by state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
“Now I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t want this situation to be like Minnesota on the weekend, you are,” Dalzel wrote in an email, according to the complaint. “I’m trying to make everything you do to the law. I’m trying to make you really follow the law. I’m not ignoring me, I’m not lying to me, I don’t mislead me, I’m intentionally West (sic) time I don’t have.”
The complaint added that Dalzel said he was ignored by several government officials when he tried to get help in legal matters. Dalzel also said he owed the money after the court victory, and “the police were trying to silence him, allowing civil servants to engage in corruption,” according to the complaint.
“It’s not a threat because we want to avoid any further issues and don’t want North Dakota to turn out like Minnesota (JP) That’s a statement that it’s a bad situation and that’s a statement that I don’t want a part of it,” he wrote.
Dalzel was arrested June 16th and charged with one count of threats to federal officials and one count of interstate threats, according to court records. He appeared in the first courtroom on June 18th on video, North Dakota Monitor reported.
Complaint: North Dakota man accuses federal officials of lying to him
Dalzel said in an email that he asked a federally elected civil servant to help with his legal case but was ignored, according to the complaint. He added that after a fourth attempt to contact representatives, police received warnings.
He then said “two officers were not interested in helping him and that he was approaching to going to prison,” the complaint stated, adding that Dalzel accused “JP” and other officials of lying to him.
“Sitting here, I wonder if a manufacturer and representative of the law will be shot dead in Minnesota and one person will come to mind. That kind of thing won’t do that now… I’m definitely not pose a threat, but when the law doesn’t make the law, when they don’t follow the law they’ve created, maybe some people will anger the righteous people…
Dalzell is said to have appointed two civil servants and an email judge. He claimed that he “is not effectively carrying out his duties.” He said he would not retreat and “he will) refund the refund and comply with the law,” the complaint states.
The complaint also noted that Dalzel sent an email to the US Lawyer’s Office in North Dakota in February 2024 with the same address. The email said the sender identified himself as “Chuck Miller” and that he was legally challenged to his property before being said to threaten violence.
The Litigation Bureau investigated the Federal Bureau of Investigation and interviewed Dalzel at his residence in St. Thomas. Dalzel was warned by the FBI of “border threats.”
“He was also notified that this was a violation that threatens people on the Internet and that his communications are perceived as a threat,” the complaint said.
Report: Man attempted to retrieve the gun before sending a threatening email
According to the North Dakota Monitor, when he appeared in court on June 18, U.S. Assistant Attorney Richardley said he tried to retrieve the gun that had been confiscated from him a few days before his arrest. The gun was taken from him in connection with another case.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he goes to the sheriff’s office to retrieve the firearm,” Lee said, according to the news organization.
Investigators also discovered methamphetamine and machete on Dalzel’s property after being arrested on June 16, North Dakota Monitor reported. According to the press, the judge ordered Dalzel to be in custody, citing the charges and Dalzel’s criminal history.
The news organization reported that Dalzel had previously been convicted of disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and domestic violence, citing court records. His gun was confiscated from him in connection with an incident of disorderly conduct.
Political violence remains a concern across the US
Dalzel’s suspicion of threat comes midway through political violence across the United States. Politicians warn that even though intense discourse in the United States has been ongoing for years, it puts further violence at risk.
The suspect, accused of fatally shooting Hortman and wounding Hoffman, faces state and federal murder charges. On June 16, federal prosecutors said the suspect went to the homes of two other state officials in the morning.
These shootings follow two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, including one incident in which he was shot in the ear in July 2024.
Earlier this year, a man set fire to the house of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro in the Gaza War. Then, in October 2022, a hammer-wielding attacker broke into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and assaulted her husband, Paul Pelosi.
In 2017, Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scullies was injured during Congressional baseball practice. In 2011, former House member of Congressman Gabby Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, was injured in a shooting that killed six people at a component meeting.
A May Congressional Committee noted that in the 2017 shooting, where two Capitol police officers were also injured, the shooters had a list containing names and descriptions of six lawmakers, including two Republicans who attended practice that day.
Contributors: Susan Miller, Trevor Hughes, Savannah Kucha, USA Today
