Vance Boelter, the man accused of shooting and killing Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, claimed in a letter to the FBI that Gov. Tim Walz told him to kill U.S. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar so he could run for Senate, according to the Star Tribune. The newspaper in its Friday, June 20 report described the letter as “rambling, conspiratorial” and “incoherent,” citing two people “familiar” with its contents.
The letter is one-and-a-half pages long, the Star Tribune’s sources said. Federal prosecutors said the letter was found in a Buick Boelter left near his home.
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Hennepin County Attorney spokesperson Daniel Borgertpoepping told the Star Tribune the office can’t comment on an open investigation, but added it has “seen no evidence that the allegations regarding Gov. Walz are based in fact.”
In a statement to the Star Tribune, Walz’s spokesman said this tragedy continues to be deeply disturbing for all Minnesotans,” while Klobuchar called Boelter a “very dangerous man.”
“I am deeply grateful that law enforcement got him behind bars before he killed other people,” Klobuchar said.
Boelter allegedly shot and injured state Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife Yvette multiple times before authorities say he killed the Hortmans. Yvette Hoffman was released from the hospital on Thursday, June 19 and John Hoffman is in critical but stable condition, KARE 11 reported.
In a statement to KARE 11, the Hoffmans thanked health care providers, first responders and law enforcement who responded to the attack. The couple said they are “heartbroken” about the deaths of Melissa and Mark Hortman.
“We are uplifted by the prayers and support from so many across the state of Minnesota and the country: thank you,” the Hoffmans said.
More information comes out about suspect
Law enforcement officials who spoke to ABC News said Boelter had a “target list” of dozens of Minnesota politicians, including Walz, U.S. Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar; U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, also a Democrat, and state Attorney General Keith Ellison. ABC wrote the list also included Hortman, a former state House speaker, and Hoffman. Lawmakers from other states were on the list as well, Axios reported.
An affidavit filed by an FBI special agent and obtained by WCCO also revealed some details about Boelter’s state of mind following the shootings. Law enforcement pulled over his wife and children hours after the shootings, WCCO reported. Boelter’s wife said they were going to visit friends because her husband sent the family group chat a text that said they needed to get out of the house and “people with guns may be showing up.”
According to the affidavit, Boelter’s wife said she and her husband are “preppers,” or that they “prepare for major or catastrophic incidents.” Boelter had even given her a “bailout plan,” WCCO wrote.
Boelter faces federal and state charges in connection to the shootings.
Violence and threats against public officials have increased in recent years, with the Capitol Police investigating 9,474 threats and “concerning statements” against members of Congress, their families, and their staff in 2024. That’s 140% more than in 2017.
“We are grappling with the reality that we live in a world where public service carries such risks as being targeted because someone disagrees with you or doesn’t like what you stand for,” the Hoffmans said in their statement. “As a society, as a nation, as a community, we must work together to return to a level of civility that allows us all to live peacefully.”