Vance Boelter, the suspect wanted in connection with the political assassination and attempted assassination of Minnesota legislators, has been captured, sources confirmed with Alpha News.
According to radio traffic, he was tracked into the woods in Sibley County. When a drone flew overhead, he put his hands in the air and walked toward officers in a SWAT vehicle.
Multiple sources say he was spotted near a residence in Green Isle and began running down a driveway into the woods, wearing all black with a backpack. At one point, he was tucked in the fetal position and then began to army crawl until he eventually stood up to surrender.
MORE: Multiple sources say he was spotted near a residence in Green Isle and began running down a driveway into the woods, wearing all black with a backpack. At one point he was tucked in the fetal position and then began to army crawl until he eventually stood up to surrender.
— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) June 16, 2025
His capture brings to an end a nearly 48-hour nationwide manhunt that began Saturday at 2 a.m. when authorities say he shot Minnesota Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their home in Champlin. Hoffman and his wife survived.
Boelter then traveled to Democratic House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman’s home in Brooklyn Park, where police say he shot and killed her and her husband Mark while posing as a police officer.
Yvette Hoffman wrote in a text message shared by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar that she was shot eight times while her husband was shot nine times. “We are both incredibly lucky to be alive,” she said.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley described the law enforcement operation as the “largest manhunt in the state’s history,” consisting of 20 different SWAT teams just in the area where Boelter was apprehended.
“When this sort of evil is in one of our communities, law enforcement comes together to put all of their resources together to make sure that person is taken into custody,” said Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans.
Boelter has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder.
The criminal complaint describes how police arrived at the Hoffman residence in Champlin around 2 a.m. after a 911 caller reported that a masked individual had come to their door and shot their parents.
Video surveillance footage from the exterior of the residence showed a Ford SUV with police-style lights parked in the driveway of the residence. It also showed a man, later identified as Boelter, wearing a mask, a blue shirt, and a police-style tactical vest with a badge and yellow-gripped gun approach the front door with a flashlight, the complaint says.
Boelter knocked on the door and announced himself as a police officer before shooting the Hoffmans and fleeing the residence.
A short time later, the Brooklyn Park Police Department learned of the shooting in Champlin. Because one of the victims was a state legislator, police proactively sent patrol officers to Hortman’s home in Brooklyn Park, according to the complaint.
When they arrived just after 3:30 a.m., they saw Boelter shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home, the complaint says. An exchange of gunfire ensued before Boelter fled out of the home.
Inside Boelter’s vehicle, police found “at least three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm handgun, as well as a list of names and addresses of other public officials. Officers canvassed the surrounding area and located a ballistic vest, a disassembled 9mm firearm, a mask, and a gold police-style badge.”
Boelter could also face federal charges.
Liz Collin
Liz Collin is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter, news anchor, and producer who cares about Minnesota. She is the producer of The Fall of Minneapolis and Minnesota v We the People documentary films, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and The Death of George Floyd. Her work has prompted important state laws. Yet perhaps most of all, Liz has been giving a voice to the truth—and helping others tell their stories—for more than 20 years.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
