BELLE PLAINE, Minn. 鈥 The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another crawled to officers in surrender Sunday after they located him in the woods near his home, bringing an end to a massive, nearly two-day search that put the entire state on edge.
Vance Boelter was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two of attempted murder. He is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.
Authorities say he also shot Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. They were injured at their residence about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away.
鈥淥ne man鈥檚 unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,鈥 Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said at a news conference after Boelter's arrest.
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This photo made available by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office shows Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, as he was arrested late Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via AP)
The search for Boelter was the 鈥渓argest manhunt in the state's history,鈥 Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. It began when Brooklyn Park officers went to check on Hortman's home and saw her husband gunned down before the shooter fled.
Authorities on Sunday located a vehicle Boelter was using abandoned in rural Sibley County, where he lived, and a police officer reported that he believed he saw Boelter running into the woods, Bruley said. Police set up a large perimeter and called in 20 different tactical teams, divvying up the area and searching for him.
During the search, police said they received information confirming someone was in the woods and searched for hours, using a helicopter and officers on foot, until they found Boelter. He surrendered to police, crawling out to officers in the woods before he was handcuffed and taken into custody in a field, authorities said.
Jail records show Boelter was booked into the Hennepin County Jail at 1:02 a.m. Central Time Monday and include two mug shots, one from the front and one from the side, of Boelter wearing an orange prison shirt.

From left, Sen. John A. Hoffman and Rep. Melissa Hortman.
A targeted attack
Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said the violence likely would've continued had Brooklyn Park offices not checked on Hortman's home, causing Boelter to flee.
The Hoffmans were attacked first at their home in Champin early Saturday. A criminal complaint unsealed after Boelter's arrest indicated their adult daughter called 911 just after 2 a.m. to say a masked person had come to the door and shot her parents.
After police in nearby Brooklyn Park learned that a lawmaker had been shot, they sent patrol officers to check on the Hortmans鈥 home.
Brooklyn Park police officers arrived just in time to see Boelter shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home, the complaint says. It says they exchanged gunfire with Boelter, who fled inside the home before escaping the scene. Melissa Hortman was found dead inside, the complaint said.
Authorities said Boelter posed as a police officer, even allegedly altering a vehicle to make it look like a police car.

Leah Palmer visits a makeshift memorial for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark on Sunday at the state Capitol in St. Paul, Minn.
No details on motive
Authorities did not give a motive as they announced Boelter's arrest.
A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from the fake police vehicle that was left at the crime scene, said two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation. The writings and list of names included prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates and information about health care facilities, according to the officials.
A Minnesota official told AP lawmakers who had been outspoken in favor of abortion rights were on the list. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, records show, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other.
Around 6 a.m. Saturday, Boelter texted friends to apologize for his actions, though he didn't say what he had done.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn鈥檛 gone this way," he wrote in messages viewed by AP.

Tire marks from police vehicles mark the lawn of suspect Vance Luther Boelter's home Saturday in Minneapolis.
An escalation in political violence
The shootings come as political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated amid deep political divisions. Lawmakers said they were disturbed by the attacks as Twin Cities residents mourned.
鈥淭his cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences,鈥 Walz said Sunday.
On Sunday evening, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar shared a statement from Yvette Hoffman expressing appreciation for the outpouring of public support.
鈥淛ohn is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods,鈥 Yvette Hoffman said in a text that Klobuchar posted on social media. 鈥淗e took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive. We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark.鈥
Brightly colored flowers and small American flags were placed Sunday on the gray marbled stone of the Minnesota State Capitol along with a photo of the Hortmans. People scrawled messages on small notes including, 鈥淵ou were our leader through the hardest of times. Rest in Power.鈥
Pam Stein came with flowers and knelt by the memorial. An emotional Stein called Hortman an 鈥渁bsolute powerhouse鈥 and 鈥渢he real unsung hero of Minnesota government.鈥
Photos show arrest of suspect in the shooting of lawmakers in Minnesota following a huge search

Brooklyn Park Police Lieutenant Hjelm sets up a perimeter with police tape near the scene of a shooting in Brooklyn Park, Minn. on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

Members of law enforcement search for shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, at a house Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a press conference at the State Emergency Operations Center on Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Blaine, Minn., following the arrest of Vance Luther Boelter in Sibley County. (Kerem Y眉cel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Police tape blocks off the home of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Brooklyn Park, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A memorial for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark is seen at the state Capitol, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Members of law enforcement agencies walk through a field near a vehicle suspected to belong to shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Members of law enforcement agencies walk through a field near a vehicle suspected to belong to shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Members of law enforcement agencies search for shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, at a house Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Members of law enforcement agencies search for shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, at a house Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A law enforcement officer trains his rifle towards a house as the officers search for shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Law enforcement agencies search for shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, along a rural road Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pauses as he speaks about the killing of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband at the State Emergency operations Center in Blaine, Minn.. Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP)

This photo provided by Minnesota State Patrol shows writings in the fake police car law enforcement officials believe a suspect used in the shooting of two Democratic legislators in Minnesota on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Minnesota State Patrol via AP)

FILE - House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, attends a press conference in St. Paul, Minn., June 14, 2021. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP File)

Bullet holes mark the front door of the house of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife who were shot earlier in the day, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Champlin, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Armed FBI agents search for an active shooter, sweeping a neighborhood adjacent to the home of Minnesota DFL State Representative Melissa Hortman, in Brooklyn Park, Minn., Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

Armed FBI agents search for an active shooter, sweeping a neighborhood adjacent to the home of Minnesota DFL State Representative Melissa Hortman, in Brooklyn Park, Minn., Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

This photo made available by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office shows Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, as he was arrested late Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Armed FBI agents have a meeting to strategize as they search for an active shooter by sweeping a neighborhood adjacent to the home of Minnesota DFL State Representative Melissa Hortman, in Brooklyn Park, Minn. on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)