Authorities discussed the hunt for Vance Luther Boelter, the alleged shooter in the Saturday killings of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband.Jerry Holt/Minnesota Star Tribune/ZUMA
Update, June 16: The alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, was arrested by authorities Sunday night, officials said. He faces charges of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder and could face additional charges if he is indicted by a grand jury. Joe Thompson, acting US Attorney for Minnesota, told reporters on Monday that it was “way too speculative” to say what motivated the suspect, and added that he believed “abortion rights supporters” were among the “dozens and dozens of names” found on hundreds of pages of documents belonging to the suspect.
The Minnesota shooter who killed a state lawmaker and her husband and wounded another legislator and his wife reportedly had a list containing dozens of other names, including abortion providers and advocates.
Multiple news outlets, including CNN, ABC, and the Minnesota Star Tribune, have reported that the alleged shooter—57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter—left a list of names behind in his car that included abortion providers and advocates and figures with ties to Planned Parenthood, along with Democratic politicians. Rep. Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), told the Star Tribune that she was on the shooter’s list and that local law enforcement told her to shelter in place on Saturday; a spokesperson for Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) told the New York Times the senator was also on the list.
Much is still unknown about the suspect’s motivations. A longtime friend of Boelter told CNN on Saturday that the alleged shooter was a staunch opponent of abortion rights. On Meet the Press Sunday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said, “There clearly was some through line with abortion because of the groups that were on the list and other things that I’ve heard were in this manifesto.”
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety told Mother Jones on Sunday that the contents of the list, which he said he had not seen, are “investigative information.” The spokesperson said that anyone who was named on the list will be, or already has been, contacted by law enforcement. The National Abortion Federation (NAF), a professional organization of abortion providers and supporters, said in a statement that it is working with its members in Minnesota “to provide additional security support while the suspect is still at large.”
In a statement provided to Mother Jones on Sunday, Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, said she was “grieving and remembering” victim and former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who she called her “cherished friend and fellow advocate,” and her husband, Mark. Richardson added that the Planned Parenthood clinics in the region were “working with local law enforcement to increase patrols at all of our facilities,” and that their doors would remain open. In response to a question about whether any national leaders of Planned Parenthood were on the shooter’s list, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Federation of America said on Sunday, before the alleged shooter was caught, that they would “not speak to any details while an active threat remains.” The spokesperson added: “We know what it’s like to be the target of political violence: every day, Planned Parenthood staff and providers endure harassment, threats, and more. Our highest priority is always the safety and well-being of Planned Parenthood patients, our staff, and the communities we serve.”
While Boelter’s motives remain unclear, the reports that abortion providers and supporters were named on the list come amid a wave of threats and violence since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. “What we’ve seen since the Dobbs decision has been a shift, where some of the states that historically have been more protective of abortion are seeing more incidents of harassment and targeting of providers,” the NAF’s Melissa Fowler told my colleague Laura Morel last month. On top of that, in January, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly two dozen people charged with violating the FACE Act, a federal law that prohibits interfering with access to reproductive health clinics. Trump’s DOJ has also said it will limit enforcement of the law going forward, and just last week, House Republicans advanced a bill that seeks to repeal the law entirely.
The anti-abortion group Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life said in a statement posted to X that while the shooter’s motives haven’t yet been established, “his actions are completely antithetical to the mission of MCCL and the pro-life movement.”
