Sawt Falasteen - Death penalty possible for suspected killer of Minnesota lawmaker

Vance Boelter, 57, faces six federal charges, including two counts of murder by firearm, punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty, acting US Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joe Thompson told a press conference in Minneapolis.

Thompson gave a shocking account of Boelter's alleged activities in the early hours of Saturday, revealing that he went to the homes of four state politicians -- all of them Democrats -- not only the two previously reported.

"It is no exaggeration to say his crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Boelter stalked his victims like prey. He went to their homes, held himself out as a police officer, and shot them in cold blood," the US attorney said.

The rampage began with the shooting of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife and ended with the killing of Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband. But it had two other stops in between, Thompson said.

Clad in a black tactical vest, body armor and a silicon mask, he banged on the door of a politician's home in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove, but found no one home, Thompson said.

He then travelled to a home in the adjacent town of New Hope, but left after he was spotted by a police officer, Thompson said, adding that proactive "wellness checks" on state legislators by local police had prevented more deaths.

After a 48-hour manhunt, Boelter was taken into custody in a rural area about an hour southwest of Minneapolis, police and state officials said.

SWAT teams used drones to identify the suspect's location, and officers crawled through ditches in the area's farm fields to confine him, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

The suspect was due to appear in a federal court in Saint Paul, Minnesota at 1:30 pm local time (1830 GMT). Minnesota state officials earlier announced they would pursue first-degree murder charges against Boelter.

- 'Politically motivated' -

A notebook containing the names of other lawmakers and potential targets was found inside a car left by Boelter at the Hortmans' home.

As speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to January 2025, Hortman was committed to legislation that protected reproductive rights in the state, local media reported.

The attacks renewed fears of growing political violence in America.

The United States is bitterly divided politically as President Donald Trump embarks on his second term, implementing hardline policies and routinely insulting his opponents. Political violence has become more common.

Trump himself survived an assassination attempt last year, with a second attempt foiled by law enforcement.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home was set on fire this year. An assailant with a hammer attacked the husband of then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022.

"(This is) a moment in this country where we watch violence erupt," Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said after the arrest.

"This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences."

Trump has condemned the attacks in Minnesota on the lawmakers and their spouses.

The president was asked in a Sunday interview with ABC News if he planned to call Walz, who was Kamala Harris's running mate in the election Trump won last year.

"Well, it's a terrible thing. I think he's a terrible governor. I think he's a grossly incompetent person," Trump said.

"But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too."

X.Habash--SF-PST