A suspect accused of fatally shooting a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another may have had plans to target people in Iowa as well.
Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was arrested Sunday night, 50 miles outside of Minneapolis, on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by USA TODAY.
His arrest came after Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were wounded in a separate shooting early Saturday morning. Authorities said Boelter exchanged gunfire with police outside the Hortmans’ home before fleeing on foot.
In a late-night news conference on June 15, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said John Hoffman had finished his final surgery and is “moving towards recovery,” while Yvette Hoffman is “healing.”
Hoffman lived in West Des Moines for nearly a decade and is credited with forming an active Democratic Party in the Des Moines suburb.
Yvette Hoffman’s Iowa presence grew from a different sphere. Broadcasting archives list her as “Kelly Foxx,” an on-air host at Des Moines Top 40 station Star 102.5 through 2001.
Iowans among more than 70 targets found in suspected Minnesota shooter’s notebook
Minnesota law enforcement officials said they recovered a notebook believed to belong to Boelter that had a list of 70 other targets in Minnesota and across the Midwest that included politicians, business leaders and health officials.
Among those confirmed to be on the list are U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, Rep. Ilhan Omar and State Attorney General Keith Ellison — all Democrats from Minnesota.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said during the news conference that individuals from Iowa were also on the list, although he did not provide specific names. Other targets included people in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Nebraska.
Evans clarified at the June 15 news conference that the writings investigators found were not in the form of a “traditional manifesto” and lacked details. They have not yet released those writings.
“This is a notebook — with a lot of that’s been reported — of lawmakers and others that are listed in here,” Evans said. “And then much more other thoughts that are throughout this, as opposed to a very succinct document … and it’s mixed in with other documents.”
At least 11 lawmakers from Wisconsin were on the list, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. All were Democrats.
Planned Parenthood centers are also believed to have been on the suspect’s list of targets.
Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, which runs 15 reproductive health centers in the Midwest, including one in Des Moines, said in a statement that the organization was working to boost security in all facilities. She said she was grieving Hortman’s loss and sent wishes for healing to Hoffman and his wife.
“As we continue to process this devastating news and prepare for the coming week, we remain committed to patient care,” Richardson said. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are working with local law enforcement to increase patrols at all of our facilities. Our doors will remain open.”
Des Moines Area Community College confirmed Monday that Boelter, the man charged in Saturday’s deadly shootings, took online courses in its mortuary science program in 2023 and 2024. In a statement, the college said Boelter “has not been a student at DMACC since that time” and offered “deepest condolences to the family, friends and community members affected by the shootings.”
(This story was updated to add new information and make a headline more precise.)
USA TODAY reporter Christopher Cann and Des Moines Register reporters Marissa Payne and Nick El Hajj contributed to this report.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Minnesota shooting suspect may have targeted Iowans as well, officials say
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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