(AFP) – A manhunt was underway Sunday for a gunman who shot two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota, killing Melissa Hortman and her husband and wounding the other, in what the northern US state’s governor said were politically motivated attacks.
The shootings Saturday came as deep political divisions have riven the United States, the same day that hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country took to the streets to rally against the policies of Republican President Donald Trump. Democratic State Representative Hortman — a former speaker of the House — and her husband Mark were killed at their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, Governor Tim Walz announced in a news conference. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot and wounded at their home in nearby Champlin, he said.
Authorities named the assailant as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, who was still at large and considered “armed and dangerous.” “We believe he’s working to potentially flee the (Minneapolis-St Paul) area,” Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, told reporters. Boelter had been spotted Saturday morning in the Minneapolis area on surveillance footage obtained from a business, the official said. Evans said authorities were still investigating the suspect’s motives and did not know if additional people were involved in the attacks. Trump and US Attorney General Pam Bondi decried what they called “horrific violence” and said perpetrators would be prosecuted to “the fullest extent of the law.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the capture or conviction of Boelter.
– ‘Targeted political violence’ – Walz called the shootings “an act of targeted political violence.” “Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint,” he said during a news conference. He later announced on X that Minnesota’s flags will fly at half-staff in honor of Hortman. “She woke up every morning determined to make Minnesota a better place,” the Democratic governor said. State official Evans said Hoffman — who was “in stable condition” — and his wife were shot first, and as police investigated, Hortman and her husband were shot about 90 minutes later. The gunman was able to escape during an exchange of fire with officers near Hortman’s residence. Praetorian Guards Security Services, a home security company, described Boelter on its website as its director of security patrols.
– Impersonating law enforcement – In both attacks, authorities believe the assailant impersonated a law enforcement officer. An image of Boelter released by the FBI showed him wearing what appeared to be a latex mask, potentially an attempt to evade identification. Flyers for the anti-Trump protests planned for Minnesota — part of Saturday’s national wave of “No Kings” demonstrations — were found in the suspect’s car, as well as a manifesto that named numerous politicians and state officials, police said. The roommate of Boelter, David Carlson, told local TV affiliate KARE that he had received a text message from the suspect saying he was going to be gone for a while and “may be dead shortly.” Authorities recommended that people do not attend political rallies across Minnesota “out of an abundance of caution.” But footage from local TV stations showed huge crowds of protesters still turned out in state capital St Paul in a demonstration that doubled as a public mourning for Hortman.
“She fought for the people, she stood with people, she was a powerful political leader,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a speech during the protest. “Melissa proved that you could be a politician and be a good person.”
– ‘Precipice moment’ – Tensions were high across the country, and in Texas authorities said they evacuated the state capitol complex after a “credible threat” towards lawmakers planning to attend a protest there. In Brooklyn Park, where Hortman lived, authorities searching for the suspect lifted a shelter-in-place order Saturday afternoon, saying that there was “reason to believe he is no longer in the area.”
The United States has been deeply divided since Trump returned to the White House in January. The Republican president has drawn criticism from Democrats over his harsh immigration policy, his assault on universities and the media, and a perceived flouting of limits on executive power. Former US congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived a shooting to the head in 2011 and is now a prominent advocate for the prevention of gun violence, said she was “devastated” by Hortman’s death. “We must protect our democracy from those who try to destroy it with a gun,” Giffords wrote on X.
– Ulysse BELLIER
© 2024 AFP
