AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
A suspect is still on the loose after a shooting in Minnesota yesterday killed one state lawmaker and left another wounded, both Democrats. Governor Tim Walz called it a targeted political attack. NPR's Meg Anderson is in Minneapolis and joins us with the latest. Hi, Meg.
MEG ANDERSON, BYLINE: Hi.
RASCOE: Let's go over the details first. What happened?
ANDERSON: Yeah. So early yesterday morning, a Minnesota state representative, Melissa Hortman, was killed in her home in a Minneapolis suburb by a man impersonating a police officer. Her husband was also killed. In a nearby suburb, another lawmaker, State Senator John Hoffman, and his wife were also shot in their home. They survived. Officials have said that Hoffman is in stable condition. Regarding the attacks, authorities said that after responding to the shooting at Hoffman's home, police went to Hortman's home to check on her. They found a man there dressed in blue with black body armor. Police said he opened fire on them but was able to flee the scene. He is now a suspect.
RASCOE: What do we know about the suspect?
ANDERSON: So police identified him yesterday as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. They don't know if he acted alone, and they have not found him yet. There has been a manhunt going on now since the shootings. It's involved hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for anyone who has information that might lead to his arrest. One of the shootings happened in Brooklyn Park. That's a large suburb of the Twin Cities. At a press conference, that city's mayor, Hollies Winston, highlighted how these tragic events were, you know, not just bringing law enforcement together, but the entire community.
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HOLLIES WINSTON: This individual did this to instill fear into our community, but I received calls from folks across the state, from all different ethnicities and communities as well, with an outpouring of support.
ANDERSON: Authorities also told us a little more about Boelter. They said they're looking into his work at a security company. Police acknowledge that could possibly give someone a leg up in carrying out an attack like this. Boelter was last seen in Minneapolis sometime on Saturday morning after the attacks. He was wearing a light-colored cowboy hat. Officials released photos of him and urged people to call 911 if they think they've seen him. They do consider him armed and dangerous.
RASCOE: Do we know anything about his motivations this morning? Have we learned anything about that?
ANDERSON: You know, we don't know anything for certain. As you said, both of the lawmakers who were shot were Democrats. State police have said that they found a list of individuals inside Boelter's car. Hortman and Hoffman were on that list, and so were other lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. They are also both Democrats. Authorities say they're looking into information that Boelter may have crossed paths with his victims at public meetings.
Police also said they found No Kings fliers in the car. That's a reference to the anti-Trump protests that happened around the country yesterday. Minnesota officials actually urged residents to avoid those gatherings because of that. But, you know, many still attended. Those protests remained largely peaceful. Bottom line, though, it's too early to draw definitive conclusions from what we know just yet.
RASCOE: Meg, it seems like we've had a string of these kinds of attacks targeting elected officials. Is this some sort of horrible trend happening?
ANDERSON: Yeah, we are in a very tense moment as a nation. We're seeing that manifest in high-profile political violence. In April, a man set fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home. He was charged with attempted murder, among other things. U.S. Capitol Police at the federal level have documented a spike in threats against members of Congress. Last year, the Brennan Center for Justice, a policy think tank, released a report saying half of the state lawmakers they surveyed had experienced threats or attacks in recent years. And of course, last summer, President Trump himself survived two assassination attempts. In reaction to the shootings in Minnesota, Trump condemned them, saying, you know, such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the U.S. Of course, it should be noted that many on the left have criticized the president for enabling political and violent - political violence, including, you know, by pardoning many involved in the January 6 insurrection.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Meg Anderson in Minneapolis. Meg, thank you so much.
ANDERSON: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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