Minnesota Shooting: Suspect Vance Boelter Surrenders After Police Conducts 'Largest Manhunt In State History'

The man identified as Vance Boelter was suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another one was finally arrested by the Minnesota police on Sunday after what Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley described as 'largest manhunt in the state's history'.

Boelter 'crawled' to officers in surrender after they located him in the woods near his home after two days of the brutal crime.

He was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two of attempted murder.

What did Vance Boelter Do?

Vance Boelter, 57, 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 Senater John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. They were injured at their residence about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away.

Democratic Governor Tim Walz said, "One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota," at a news conference after Boelter's arrest.

Also Read | Minnesota Shooting: Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman Killed, Seator John Hoffman Injured; Suspect Yet To Be Caught

Search Operation

The search for Boelter was the "largest manhunt in the state's history," 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. P

olice 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.

Motive

The authorities have not yet officially announced details of the motive behind Boelter's action.

According to AP, a list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from a fake police vehicle that was left at the crime scene and it included prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates and information about healthcare facilities.

Also Read | At Least 11 People Injured In South Carolina Beach Town Shooting

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.

"I'm 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't gone this way," he wrote, as reported by AP.

(With AP inputs)