A new report alleges that law enforcement involved in Vance Boelter’s terrifying murder spree last month botched the response.
The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that communication across agencies was spotty, leaving several officials unaware of the threat posed for hours—raising questions about whether Boelter could have been apprehended sooner.
According to the paper’s report, Brooklyn Park Police allegedly deviated from department policy by waiting more than an hour to enter the home of Mark and Melissa Hortman after witnessing Boelter shoot Mark in the doorway and after shooting at Boelter themselves, according to the Star Tribune’s investigation.
Boelter allegedly shot and killed the Minnesota congresswoman and her husband at their Brooklyn Park home last month, after shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Boelter, who was reportedly armed with a hit list, visited homes belonging to two other Democratic lawmakers during his spree, but did not shoot anyone at either residence.
Boelter impersonated a police officer in order to gain entry to his victims’ homes. At one point, he was mistaken for a colleague by a police officer sent to check on one of Boelter’s potential victims. According to the Star Tribune’s investigation, this interaction—which took place after the Hoffmans were shot, but before the Hortmans were killed—was not reported to other agencies in real time.
Democratic State Senator Erin Maye Quade told the Star Tribune, “There wasn’t a playbook for this, and I think that was clear.” Meanwhile, State Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said that “law enforcement did an admirable job of trying to respond and make sure they were doing their very best in this case.”
In a statement provided to the media, the Brooklyn Park Police Department sought to “correct inaccuracies” in the Star Tribune’s report, arguing that “The timeline listed by the Minnesota Star Tribune in a recent article appears to have been generated by individuals without direct knowledge as to the facts and circumstances” surrounding the events of June 14.
The statement contends that officers “did not violate departmental policy” and that they “conducted a rescue of Mark Hortman in the entryway of the home approximately 2 minutes and 12 seconds after the officer-involved shooting,” following procedure by not entering the home.
The statement explains that officers then used a drone to search the Hortman home, finding Melissa Hortman with injuries not compatible with life, and only then entering the home. The Star Tribune investigation mentions the drone, and provides timestamps based on body cam footage to establish when, exactly, officers entered the home.
BPPD also contends that the sergeant who encountered Boelter while he was dressed as a police officer “requested that area law enforcement agencies be warned about an individual dressed as police shooting lawmakers approximately 27 minutes after the officer-involved shooting at the Hortman residence.”
The statement concludes, “It’s unfortunate that such a tragic event is being litigated in the public eye by those without the necessary knowledge to provide critical context. It is also increasingly concerning that non-public data is being shared outside of the investigation.”
”The Brooklyn Park Police Department has attempted to protect the integrity of what is an ongoing criminal investigation with the goal of holding Vance Boelter accountable for his heinous crimes.”
The post New Details Allege Botched Police Response to MAGA Madman’s Murder Spree appeared first on The Daily Beast.
