Suspect Vance Boelter in Minnesota lawmakers shooting booked in county jail
The massive search for the man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers, one fatally, concluded on Sunday evening when he was arrested by police, officials confirmed.
Vance Boelter, 57, was arrested near his farm in Green Isle, Minnesota. He was booked into Hennepin County Jail at about 1 a.m. on Monday, according to online records.
Vance was spotted on a trail via camera earlier Sunday and then taken into custody, police said during a press conference.
Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger said when police closed in on Boelter in the woods, he surrendered without incident.
"The suspect crawled to law enforcement teams and was placed under arrest at that point in time," Geiger said.
After his arrest, Boelter was taken to an undisclosed police facility where he is being interviewed, officials said.
Boelter is accused of the fatal shootings of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and a separate shooting attack on Sen. John Hoffman and his spouse.
During a press conference on Sunday night, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz condemned the killing of Rep. Hortman, saying, "One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota." The governor thanked law enforcement partners for their role in the suspect's capture, saying, "This is a great example of coordination and collaboration."
Police noted it was the "largest manhunt in Minnesota state history," with Boelter's capture coming 43 hours after the shootings occurred.
The twin attacks in Champlin and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on Saturday led to the discovery in the suspect's vehicle 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 said a hat believed to be associated with the suspect was found near his alleged vehicle. There were several items of evidence relevant to the ongoing investigation found in the vehicle outside of the alleged target list, police added.
The discovery of the hat is what led authorities to believe Boelter was in the area.
Police said that Boelter had been in contact with individuals, but were trying to determine if he was receiving any assistance while on the run from law enforcement. "All options are on the table," said Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said earlier Sunday.
The FBI was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's arrest.
There was a nationwide warrant for Boelter's arrest on a state level and a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, police said Sunday.
Boelter is suspected of gaining entry to the lawmakers' homes by disguising himself as a police officer, even arriving at the victims' home in a vehicle that looked like a police cruiser equipped with flashing emergency lights, officials said.
The shootings unfolded around 2 a.m. Saturday, when Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were both shot multiple times at their home in Champlin, Minnesota, authorities said.
Soon after the shooting at the Hoffmans' home, state Rep. Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park, according to authorities.
Police believe the suspect opened fire on the victims while wearing a latex mask, sources said.
Following the shooting at Hoffman's residence, officers were sent to Hortman's home to check on her well-being, officials said. As officers arrived at the residence, they encountered the gunman at around 3:35 a.m. The suspect and the officers exchanged gunfire before the suspect escaped, flee on foot and leaving behind his fake police car, where investigators found his target list, authorities said.
Court records filed in Hennepin County, Minnesota, say that Hoffman's child was the one who initially made the call that their parents had been shot.
Two associates of Sen. Hoffman and his wife told ABC News on Sunday that the couple was awake and out of surgery.
Yvette Hoffman is conscious and "doing relatively well," and John Hoffman is alert and recovering from a collapsed lung, the associates said. One source estimates that Sen. Hoffman was shot multiple times.
"Everybody is cautiously optimistic," one of the sources said.
Boelter – a husband and father, according to an online biography – has touted an extensive background in security and military training, according to an ABC News review of his online presence and professional history.
Boelter helped lead the private security firm Praetorian Guard Security Services, which is based in the Twin Cities area, according to the company website.
The suspect's wife was detained for questioning after a traffic stop near Onamia late on Saturday morning, multiple law enforcement sources told Minnesota ABC News affiliate KSTP. She was released without being arrested, according to KTSP, which reports it's unknown why her vehicle was stopped.
ABC News' Josh Margolin, David Brennan, Emily Shapiro, Jack Moore, Luke Barr and Mike Levine contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
