The man accused of killing a politician and wounding another went to the homes of two other politicians on the night of the shootings, a federal prosecutor said.
The suspect, Vance Boelter (57), surrendered to police on Sunday after they found him in the woods near his home following a massive manhunt that began early on Saturday near Minneapolis.
The suspect allegedly shot dead Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, in their home on Saturday – a crime that governor Tim Walz characterised as a “politically motivated assassination”.
Authorities said the suspect also allegedly shot and wounded another Democratic politician, state senator John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette at their home a few miles away, while posing as a police officer.
One of the other politicians was not home and the suspect left the other house after police arrived, acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson said at a press conference on Monday.
Authorities declined to name the two other elected officials whom Vance Boelter had allegedly stalked but who escaped harm.
The suspect was charged with federal murder and stalking offences. He already faces state charges, including murder and attempted murder.
Mr Thompson said it was too early to say whether the Justice Department would seek the death penalty, but noted that that was among the options available to the government based on the charges.
Mr Walz earlier told a news conference that Mr Boelter was apprehended after a “two-day manhunt, two sleepless nights”.
“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” he said. “A moment in this country where we watch violence erupt, this cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences.”
Mr Walz said Mr Hoffman, who had been hit with nine bullets, had come out of surgery and was moving towards recovery.
Officials earlier said the gunman had left behind a different vehicle outside Mr Hortman’s house in suburban Minneapolis that resembled a police SUV, including flashing lights, and contained a target list of other politicians and institutions.
The suspect has links to evangelical ministries and claimed to be a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa, according to online postings and public records reviewed by Reuters.
He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, a Hennepin County criminal complaint showed.
Mr Boelter fled on foot early on Saturday when officers confronted him at Mr Hortman’s Brooklyn Park home, said authorities who had warned residents to stay indoors for their own safety. They then unleashed the state’s biggest manhunt.
When police searched Mr Boelter’s SUV after the shootings they discovered three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm handgun and a list of other public officials including their addresses, the criminal complaint showed.
Working on a tip that the suspect was near his own home in the city of Green Isle, more than 20 Swat teams combed the area, aided by surveillance aircraft, officials said. He was armed but in the end surrendered with no shots fired.
“The suspect crawled to law enforcement teams and was placed under arrest,” Lieut Col Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol told the briefing. “The suspect was taken into custody without any use of force.”
The operation to capture the suspect, drawing on the work of hundreds of detectives and a wide range of federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies, was the largest manhunt in state history, police said.
The killing was the latest episode of high-profile US political violence.
Such incidents range from a 2022 attack on former Democratic US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their home, to an assassination bid on Donald Trump last year, and an arson attack at Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s house in April. – Reuters
