Authorities are investigating whether the suspect arrested in connection with the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers acted as part of a broader network.
Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was detained in the state’s rural Sibley County on Sunday night after an intense two-day manhunt. He is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder.
Speaking at a press conference after Boelter’s capture, Drew Evans, superintendent of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said authorities are confident that Boelter acted alone but will “fully explore” the possibility that he was part of a wider network.
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Boelter’s charges follow the slaying of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband, Mark, 58, on Saturday morning. State Sen. John Hoffman, 60, and his wife, Yvette, were also shot and injured, about five miles away.
Authorities say that the suspect wore a rubber mask and dressed as a police officer. Senator Tina Smith, Democrat of Minnesota, said that the alleged gunman had a 70-strong potential hit list containing the names of Democratic lawmakers and other liberal figures.
State Governor Tim Walz said at a press conference Saturday that the Hoffmans were recovering after what “appears to be a politically motivated [attempted] assassination.”
Evans, the superintendent of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Sunday that authorities are exploring the possibility that the suspect may not have acted alone.
A reporter asked him if he was “concerned” that “there could be other people out there that could have been working with him.”
“We will fully explore that. I’ve said on this that we are relatively confident—we are confident—that the violence that he committed and the murders he committed and the attempted murders...that he conducted that activity alone,” Evans said.
“We will be exploring if there are any broader network,” he added. “We have not uncovered any of that at this time but that will be part of our investigation. We will fully explore that.”
Evans added that Boelter is being interviewed at an unspecified law enforcement agency.
David Carlson, roommate and childhood friend of Boelter, said that the suspect was a strong Donald Trump supporter. He also said that financial struggles may have inspired the alleged violence.
“He was looking around, but maybe things didn’t work out and he just gave up and decided to go out in the blaze of glory,” he said. “I have no idea what he was thinking.”
