Minnesota murder suspect visited four lawmakers' homes the day of shootings, officials say

Federal prosecutors connected Monday charged the antheral accused of assassinating a Minnesota authorities lawmaker and her husband, and shooting different lawmaker and his wife, with six national counts, including stalking, murder and firearms offenses.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, is facing some authorities and national charges successful the assassination of Minnesota Democratic authorities Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shooting of Democratic authorities Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in a abstracted attack.

The details of the transgression "are genuinely chilling. It is nary exaggeration to accidental that his crimes are the worldly of nightmares," Joe Thompson, the acting U.S. lawyer for Minnesota, said Monday.

Thompson said "it is excessively aboriginal to tell" whether the Justice Department volition question the decease punishment successful Boelter's case, but it "is 1 of the options for respective of the charges."

Thompson said that aboriginal Saturday morning, Boelter went to the homes of 4 Minnesota authorities lawmakers "with the intent to termination them."

One of the lawmakers, a Minnesota authorities representative, was not location erstwhile Boelter arrived astatine her home, truthful helium left, Thompson said.

The other, Minnesota Democratic authorities legislator Ann Rest, said authorities told her Boelter had been parked adjacent her location aboriginal Saturday morning.

"I americium truthful grateful for the heroic enactment of the New Hope Police Department and its officers," Rest said successful a Monday statement.

"Their speedy enactment saved my life," she said.

Boelter "planned his onslaught carefully," including researching the victims and their families, and helium "conducted surveillance of their homes," Thompson said.

Boelter's apprehension Sunday nighttime was the effect of what authorities called the "largest manhunt" successful Minnesota authorities history, spanning 43 hours and involving 20 SWAT teams.

Doorbell camera footage showed Boelter wearing a disguise and impersonating a constabulary serviceman to summation entree to the victims' homes, wherever the shootings took place.

State officials besides said Monday that they volition question first-degree execution charges against Boelter.

The maximum punishment for a condemnation connected first-degree execution charges is beingness successful situation without parole, said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty.

Boelter was besides carrying a database with "dozens and dozens of names" of imaginable targets, including immoderate Thompson said helium believed to beryllium "abortion rights supporters."

"Obviously, his superior motive was to spell retired and execution people," Thompson said. "They were each elected officials. They were each Democrats."

"Beyond that, I deliberation it's conscionable mode excessively speculative for anyone that's reviewed these materials to cognize and to accidental what was motivating him successful presumption of ideology oregon circumstantial issues," helium added.

U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said successful a statement aboriginal Monday that the FBI recovered his sanction among Boelter's notes during their search.

Landsman said the Capitol Police informed him of that connected Sunday, portion the fishy was inactive being sought.

"We worked precise intimately with the Cincinnati Police Department to put for accrued information for my household and me," the congressman said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said his bureau "stands agreed with our instrumentality enforcement partners to find and clasp accountable anyone who commits specified despicable acts," according to a statement Monday.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the "horrific acts of unit volition not spell unanswered: the Department of Justice volition prosecute this fishy to the fullest grade of the instrumentality and if convicted present terrible consequences for his alleged crimes."

Authorities captured Boelter precocious Sunday successful a agrarian portion of Sibley County, Minnesota, wherever helium was recovered crawling successful a field. He was equipped astatine the clip of his arrest, but gunfire was not exchanged astatine the clip of his arrest, authorities said.

Earlier connected Sunday, authorities said, they had discovered his car and chapeau successful Sibley County, starring them to zero successful connected the area.

The shootings, which Gov. Tim Walz said appeared to beryllium "politically motivated," person rattled Minnesota and lawmakers crossed the country.

"Political assassinations are rare," Thompson said Monday. "They onslaught astatine the precise bosom of our democracy."

This is simply a breaking quality communicative and volition beryllium updated.