Suspect in Minnesota lawmaker shootings in custody after two-day manhunt
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The man suspected of shooting two Minnesota state lawmakers over the weekend, killing one of the lawmakers, has been taken into custody after a massive manhunt.

Law enforcement apprehended Vance Boelter on Sunday night after a two-day search, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced at a press conference shortly before midnight.

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in Minnesota, said Boelter was was taken into custody under a state criminal warrant charging him with murder. He was arrrested near his home, according to multiple reports.

“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” Walz said Sunday night, vowing justice for the alleged gunman.

“This cannot be the norm, it cannot be the way we deal with our political differences,” the governor added, urging members of the public to “find common ground” with each other.

The arrest ends a sprawling manhunt following the fatal shooting of former Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, who were killed at their home early Saturday.

State Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife Yvette were also injured in a shooting at their home about 8 miles away the same morning and have since received surgery for their gunshot wounds. Authorities have accused Boelter of being involved in both shootings.

The governor described the two-day manhunt as “complex and dangerous.”

Minnesota officials at a press conference earlier Sunday evening had described a multifacted hunt for the suspect, with scores of law enforcement officials involved in the search.

Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said 20 different SWAT teams were utilized during the manhunt.

The suspect was armed when he was taken into custody, Evans said, though he declined to share more information about a weapon. He was taken into custody without incident, officials said.

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday night shared a photo of the suspect wearing a jacket with his hands behind his back, apparently standing in a field while encircled by agents.

“The face of evil. After relentless and determined police work, the killer is now in custody,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

“I’m grateful that this nightmare has come to an end with the suspect captured so he can be charged, prosecuted, & punished for the horror he has wrought on MN,” Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R) posted on X.

Authorities had issued state and federal warrants for Boelter accusing him of murder and attempted murder as well as seeking to avoid prosecution.

More than 400 tips had poured in over the course of two days as authorities suggested the gunman was using “various modes of transportation” to evade authorities.

Walz has described the shootings as “politically motivated” but officials have so far shared limited information on the material recovered by investigators.

“We often want easy answers for complex problems,” Evans said earlier Sunday.

This breaking news story was last updated at 11:59 p.m.

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