Authorities in Minnesota have revealed that the man arrested in a Saturday attack that k!lled a state lawmaker and her husband and attempted to k!ll another legislator and his wife had a "hit list" of 45 elected Democrats officials. Vance Boelter, 57, is facing both state and federal charges for the shooting de@th of Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her husband, Mark. He is also suspected of sho0ting and injuring state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their home a few miles away. He was apprehended on Sunday night after what Brooklyn Park police Chief Mark Bruley called "the largest manhunt in state history." He appeared in court on Monday to face the charges for the first time since his apprehension late Sunday night, when he claimed he does not have enough money to afford a private attorney despite owning seven cars and a house. "Political assassinations are rare. They strike at the very core of our democracy," said acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson for the district of Minnesota. The details of what happened, he said, are "even worse. They are truly chilling. His crimes are the stuff of nightmares." Thompson says the suspect went to the homes of four Minnesota state lawmakers "with the intent to kill them." He said Boelter was disguised as a police officer, drove a black SUV with emergency lights turned on, and had a license plate that said "police." He carried a 9mm handgun, wore a black tactical vest, and was disguised with a realistic silicone mask. Thompson says the suspect banged on the lawmakers' front doors in the middle of the night. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans told reporters on Sunday that Boelter had been charged with the Hortmans' murders as well as the shooting of the Hoffmans. He said the FBI and and U.S. Attorney's Office are reviewing whether to bring additional federal charges. Police say they initially responded to the sho0ting at Hoffman's house, and then went to Hortman's home. There, they saw a car with emergency lights out front, and a man at the door dressed in all blue with black body armor. Officials say that man shot at police, but was able to get away. Authorities have yet to announce a possible motive for the attacks, but Minn. Gov. Tim Walz called the sho0tings "an act of targeted political violence." At a news conference, state police said they found a list of individuals inside what they say is Boelter's vehicle. Hortman and Hoffman were on that list along with other lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who are also both Democrats. Evans said that if officers hadn't encountered Boelter at Hortman's house, forcing him to abandon his vehicle, "I have every confidence that this would have continued throughout the day." Officials also said they found "No Kings" flyers in the car, a reference to the anti-Trump protests that happened around the country Saturday. Minnesota state officials urged residents to avoid the gatherings, though many still attended and the protests remained largely peaceful.
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