A man suspected of shooting legislators in Minnesota after a huge chase

A 57 -year -old man in Minnesota, USA, was arrested on suspicion of killing a legislator in the democratic state and her husband.

On Sunday night, the arrest was the culmination of a two -day huge chase after the death of Melissa Hortmann, Democrat Minnesota, and her husband Mark. The governor of the state, Tim Walz, described it as “a political assassination.”

Police said that Vans Luther Powlter was armed at the time of his arrest in a rural area west of Minynabolis, but he surrendered peacefully when he faced the appeal.

He was also claimed that he was shot on Democratic Senator John Hoffman, and his wife Evitte, who are now awake in the hospital.

Ms. Hoffmann said on Sunday that both felt “incredibly lucky to be alive”, as they had 17 bullets between them.

In her statement, Ms. Hoffman added that she and her husband were “destroyed and destroyed” by the death of Hurtanz. “We do not have words,” I wrote. “There is never a place for this type of political hatred.”

Mr. Builter faces two second -degree murder charges and two second -class charges that tried to kill. It is scheduled to appear before the court in Minneapolis at 13:30 local time (14:30 EST; 18:30 GMT) on Monday.

The suspect is a former politician and was previously a member of the state’s workforce development council itself, as John Hoffmann. However, it is unclear if they already know each other.

The police did not suggest what the alleged murderer’s motive might be, but Senator Amy Kloposhr joined the ruler and Alzal in the suggestion that the attacks were of political motives.

Officials said on Sunday that Vans Luther Powlter was arrested after investigators found a car he used in Sibli Province, about 50 miles (80 km) from the murder place in Brooklyn Park.

Air and SWAT teams were deployed to arrest the suspect, in the wake of a huge chase described as the largest in the history of Minnesota.

No police officers were injured while he was afraid, and officials said they were not looking for any other suspects. Mr. Poelter’s wife was held earlier at the traffic station, but she was released because she cooperated with the investigators.

Speaking at a press conference with other local officials on Sunday night, Al -Hakim Walz said that the attack was “indispensable” was “changed the state of Minnesota.”

“This cannot be the base. It cannot be the way we deal with our political differences,” Walz said.

The mayor of the state, Jacob Fry, praised the “skill and courage” law enforcement agencies after the arrest of the suspect. “Political violence is hate.”

Vans Luther Powlter is accused of impersonating a police officer to carry out the attacks on Saturday, before exchanging fire with police officers and fleeing from the suburban area.

Melissa Hortmann worked in the House of Representatives in Minnesota for 20 years, and was the president of the Chamber from 2019 to 2025.

In addition to the presence of some political participation, Mr. Politre is a security contractor and a religious missionary work in Africa and the Middle East, as his autobiography says on the Internet. According to Facebook photos, he once preached as a church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to what was reported, investigators found a “targets” list in the car that is believed to have pushed the alleged shooting.

Drew Evans, director of the Minnesota office for criminal anxiety, told reporters that he would not describe the notebook in the car as a “statement” because he was not “a thesis on all types of ideology and writings.”

Local media reported that the names included the ruler and Alzal, a member of Congress Ilhan Omar, and the government lawyer of Minnesota, Keith Ellison.

During the press conference on Sunday, Mr. Evans did not specify who appeared on the list, but said that state officials contacted the authorities in Wisconsin, Ilinoi, Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa so that they could “notify the individuals who were on that list.”

On Sunday, Mrs. Hoffman’s statement submitted an update on her husband’s condition. “John bears many surgeries at the present time, which is closer every hour to get out of the forest,” she wrote.

The attacker is believed to have first targeted Hoffmans – at their home in Champlin, at approximately 02:00 local time on Saturday.

A Facebook post from someone whom my nephew Hoffman has identified that she threw herself to her daughter during the assassination attempt, “using her body as a shield to save her life.”

Soon after the attack on Hoffman, eight miles away, Hurtanz was shot and killed in their home in Brooklyn Park.

Local population told the BBC about their shock. Tahha Apoisenin, who lives through the street, said that he and his wife have known the Hortman family for more than 20 years.

“They were very nice neighbors in a very calm neighborhood,” he said. “You don’t see the police activity in this neighborhood. We were very shocked.”

Another resident said that she and her husband received the annual Christmas card from Hortmanz.

“What a great loss for Minnesota,” she said.