U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes was among the politicians named in an alleged target list made by a man who is accused of fatally shooting a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband over the weekend
A statement released from Sykes’ office June 17 confirmed Sykes’ name was on Vance Boelter’s list of targeted public officials. Boelter, who was arrested June 15 near his Green Isle, Minnesota, home, killed former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their Brooklyn Park home on June 14.
Boelter also shot and injured Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their Champlin home the same morning. They both survived.
“My heart breaks for (Hortman’s and Hoffman’s) families, friends, and communities impacted by this tragedy. I commend the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for apprehending the suspect,” Sykes, D-Akron, said in a statement. “U.S. Capitol Police contacted my office to notify me that my name was among the dozens of lawmakers included in the evidence found in possession of the suspect. I am relieved that the suspect has been apprehended, and I am fully committed to continuing to work on behalf of Ohio’s 13th congressional district.”
U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Warrensville Heights, confirmed to Cleveland.com that her name was also on the list.
Sykes expressed security concerns in April
Following an April forum about the Republican execution of Project 2025, Sykes, a critic of President Donald Trump’s agenda and what she called his Republican enablers in Congress, said she was concerned for her physical safety.
“I just recently had security upgrades to my home,” she said. “I come to events with armed security because I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Sykes said she encourages people to “turn down the rhetoric. We can disagree without turning into fisticuffs.”
“But right now, it is scary,” she said, adding that are steps taken to ensure the safety of herself, her staff and attendees at events.
At the time, Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home was nearly burned down in an arson attack, an incident Sykes pointed to to demonstrate her point.
“People take things too far. There’s not a situation in which folks can say, ‘I don’t like your positions and so I’m going to vote against you;’ it’s, ‘I don’t like your positions so now I’m going to kill you,'” she said. “That is not how democracy is supposed to work.”
Her office, she said, often receives threats.
“Thank goodness that we have a very engaged and active law enforcement because they understand how political violence is increasing all over this country,” Sykes said. “Capitol police works with us very closely. Their primary job is to protect members of Congress, and they are receiving more threats than they have ever in the history of their existence because people feel emboldened to use violence as a part of their political actions, and it’s just not acceptable.”
What happened June 14?
Minnesota lawmakers were targeted in a “politically motivated assassination” early June 14, killing Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman in their Brooklyn Park home. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were wounded in their Champlin home around 2 a.m. The neighboring suburban cities are 10 to 20 miles outside Minneapolis, respectively, USA TODAY reported.
Who is Vance Boelter?
The suspect in the case, Vance Boelter, 57, had posed as a law enforcement officer to gain access to the Minneapolis-area victims’ homes in the pre-dawn hours on June 14, officials said. Authorities said he and police officers exchanged gunfire outside the Hortmans’ home before he fled on foot.
Boelter was dressed like a police officer, complete with a black tactical vest, and carried a flashlight as an officer would do, according to an affidavit filed in federal court and written by special agent Terry Getsch of the FBI. Boelter also was driving an SUV equipped with a fake “POLICE” license plate and “law enforcement-style emergency lights,” the affidavit said.
He was taken into custody in rural Sibley County on June 15, about 50 miles away from Minneapolis, according to Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Boelter “extensively planned his stalking, murders and attempted murders,” the federal affidavit says. He faces multiple federal charges including murder, making him eligible for the death penalty. In all, federal prosecutors announced six counts including stalking, murder and several firearms related offenses.
Who were the victims of the shootings in Minnesota?
Hoffman and Hortman are both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Hoffman, 60, and his wife, Yvette, have one child and live in Champlin, according to his lawmaker profile. He was first elected in 2012. Hortman and her husband, Mark, have two children and lived in Brooklyn Park, according to her profile. She was elected in 2004.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) is a political party exclusive to Minnesota, formed in 1944 when the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged.
Hortman was Speaker-Emerita of the House of Representatives, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans.
Hortman served her constituents with compassion and grace, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.
“Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends, he said. “She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place.”
This story has been updated.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Susan Miller, Trevor Hughes, Thao Nguyen, Eduardo Cuevas, Jonathan Limehouse, Amanda Lee Myers.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: U.S. Reps. Emilia Sykes, Shontel Brown named in Minnesota lawmaker murder suspect’s notes
Reporting by Anthony Thompson and Derek Kreider, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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