The wife of the suspect accused in the Minnesota lawmaker shootings spoke out for the first time on Thursday, calling his actions that left two dead and two others injured “a betrayal.”
Vance Boelter, 57, is facing state and federal charges in connection with two June 14 shootings at the homes of Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman.
The shooting at Hortman’s Brooklyn Park home killed the lawmaker and her husband, Mark. About 90 minutes away, authorities say that Hortman and his wife, Yvette, were wounded in their Champlin home. Boelter was arrested in connection with the attacks in a Green Isle field two days later, after what officials have called the largest manhunt in Minnesota history.
In a statement released by her lawyers, Jenny Boelter said she and her children want to express their “deepest sympathies” to the Hortman and Hoffman families and “all who are grieving during this unimaginably difficult time.”
“We are absolutely shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided,” Jenny Boelter said. “This violence does not at all align with our beliefs as a family. It is a betrayal of everything we hold true as tenets of our Christian Faith. We are appalled and horrified by what occurred, and our hearts are incredibly heavy for the victims of the unfathomable tragedy.”
Boelter’s wife added that her family has “fully cooperated with investigators and responded to their every request” from the moment they were first contacted by law enforcement on the morning of June 14. After the call, she said she “immediately drove to meet agents at a nearby gas station.”
“We were not pulled over; we parked and waited until they arrived,” Jenny Boelter said in the statement, adding that their cooperation since has included providing items and allowing searches. “We are grateful for the diligent and professional efforts of the authorities to fully investigate these crimes. We thank law enforcement for apprehending Vance and protecting others from further harm.”
The statement is the first time Boelter’s wife has spoken out since he was arrested in connection with what officials have described as a “politically motivated” shooting.
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