Timeline reveals chilling details of Minnesota lawmakers’ shootings

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal law enforcement laid out a timeline Monday of the shootings of State Rep. Melissa Hortman, Sen. John Hoffman and their spouses, and the subsequent manhunt that ended Sunday after a two-day search for the alleged gunman. 

Vance Boelter, 57, made his first appearance in court Monday afternoon to face federal charges, including stalking, murder through use of a firearm and other firearms offenses. He’s also facing charges in state court, in which he appeared via Zoom.

Below is a comprehensive timeline of events described in court documents, spanning the length of the investigation so far.

2 a.m. – Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are shot in their home in Champlin

• Boelter arrives at the home of State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in a black SUV with “law enforcement-style” emergency lights flashing.
• Boelter goes to the front door wearing tactical clothing and carrying a flashlight in an effort to impersonate police officers. He also wore a hyper-realistic silicone mask. 
• Boelter knocks on the door and announces himself as law enforcement.
• When the Hoffmans answer the door, Boelter shines his flashlight in their faces, telling them a shooting was reported at the residence. 
• As the Hoffmans realized he was not an officer, Boelter told them, “This is a robbery,” before Sen. Hoffman attempted to push him out the door. That’s when Sen. Hoffman was shot repeatedly.
• Mrs. Hoffman then tried to shut Boelter out of the house, but she was also met with gunfire and shot several times.
• The Hoffmans’ daughter, who was in the home at the time of the shooting, called 911 just after 2 a.m. to report her parents had been shot. Emergency responders arrived and rendered aid to the Hoffmans until they were transferred to the hospital.

2:24 a.m. – Boelter arrives at the unoccupied home of another lawmaker in Maple Grove

• Boelter leaves the Hoffman residence and arrives in Maple Grove at the home of another lawmaker.
• Sources tell KARE 11 that was the home of state representative Kristin Bahner.
• Video surveillance shows Boelter repeatedly ringing the doorbell, wearing the same tactical gear, and announcing himself as law enforcement.
• Boelter repeated the action several times, but his commands went unanswered. Boelter then left the residence. 

2:36 a.m. – Boelter arrives at Sen. Anne Rest’s home in New Hope

• Boelter continued on to the home of Sen. Anne Rest, located in New Hope.
• Having been made aware of the shooting at the Hoffman home, dispatch sent an officer to Rest’s home for a welfare check. When the officer arrived, she saw a man, now identified as Boelter, sitting in the driver’s seat of his black SUV parked just down the street from Rest’s home.
• The officer, believing the SUV resembled a police vehicle, thought Boelter was sent as backup for responding officers and when she tried to make contact with Boelter, reports he stared straight ahead and was unresponsive.
• The officer then drives up to Rest’s home, sees no signs of distress and waits for additional law enforcement to arrive.
• Boelter leaves the area.

3:30 a.m. – Killing of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in Brooklyn Park

• Police are dispatched to the Brooklyn Park home of House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman for a welfare check after learning about the shooting at the Hoffmans’ home.
• When officers arrive, they see Boelter’s black SUV, with “police-style lights” flashing and a license plate bearing the word “POLICE.”
• Officers see Boelter near the front door of the house before watching him fire several shots as he moved into the home.
• After shots were fired, officers move in toward the home, where they see Mark Hortman, the Representative’s husband, lying on the floor with multiple apparent gunshot wounds. Life-saving aid is rendered by emergency responders.
• Officers enter the home and find Rep. Hortman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The family dog was also struck by gunfire.
• Boelter leaves the home on foot after an exchange of gunfire with police, leaving behind his SUV.
  — After obtaining a search warrant, police find the SUV is registered to Boelter and his wife. Inside the vehicle, they find at least five guns, a large quantity of ammunition, a medical kit and handwritten notes featuring the names of at least 45 Minnesota state and federal officials.
  — Police also obtained access to a Garmin GPS device in the vehicle, which they found to contain Boelter’s “recent trip history.” That information included the addresses for Hortman, Bahner and Rest, as well as the addresses of at least two other public officials.

6:18 a.m. – Boelter texts wife/family

• Police use location data from the Boelters’ cell phones, which helps them locate Mrs. Boelter.
• Mrs. Boelter consents to police searching her phone, where they find text messages from Boelter. In a family group text, the message said, “Dad went to war last night … I don’t wanna say more because I don’t wanna implicate anybody.”
• Shortly after, Boelter sent another text to his wife, saying, “Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation … there’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around.”
• Mrs. Boelter then consents to a search of her vehicle, which she was in with her children, their passports, $10,000 in cash and two guns.
• Location data for multiple phones linked to Boelter then lead police to a home in north Minneapolis, where they learn Boelter stays part-time with a roommate.
  — Inside the north Minneapolis home, officers find handwritten notes bearing several of the same names as the list found in the SUV abandoned at the Hortmans. They also find a purchase receipt from Fleet Farm for a flashlight, a tactical rifle case, two forms of ammunition, and materials believed to have been used to make the counterfeit “POLICE” license plate, among other materials.
• In surveillance footage, Boelter is seen returning to the residence in the hours following the shooting.

7 a.m. – Boelter makes contact with Witness 1, who agrees to sell him his e-bike and Buick

• Boelter meets a man at the bus stop at 48th and Lyndale Avenues North, who first agrees to sell Boelter his bike, before also agreeing to sell Boelter his personal vehicle.
• After taking the bus together to Witness 1’s home, the pair drive Witness 1’s Buick to the bank, where Boelter withdraws $2,200, emptying his account. He’s caught on bank surveillance wearing a cowboy hat resembling the one later taken into evidence by police.

2:30 a.m. – Reported sighting of Boelter in Green Isle

• Police receive reports that Boelter has been spotted on an e-bike near his family’s home in Green Isle, but law enforcement is unable to locate him.

Buick, hat found on Hwy 25, letter to the FBI

• In the ensuing investigation, police found the Buick purchased by Boelter abandoned on Highway 25, near the e-bike sighting.
• Police recover a cowboy hat, like the one seen on bank surveillance, from the vehicle, as well as a handwritten letter to the FBI, saying “Dr. Vance Luther Boelter” was the “shooter at large in Minnesota involved in the two shootings the morning of Saturday June 15th.”

9:10 p.m. – Boelter arrested in Green Isle

• A neighbor spots Boelter on a trail camera set up on their property, prompting law enforcement to search farm fields and other areas near the trail.
• Drones were deployed as a large team of SWAT and law enforcement assembled, leading officials to locate Boelter alive in a field near his home and took him into custody without incident.