Many have speculated about the religious or political ideologies of the suspect in the shootings, but criminology professor James Alan Fox says it’s “not necessary” to know.
A Minnesota man is accused of killing a state representative and her spouse, wounding a state senator and his wife, and targeting two other politicians in what Minnesota authorities are calling a night of “political assassinations” that seemingly targeted Democrats.
Vance Boelter is charged with stalking and first-degree murder after authorities say he killed state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman.
When police found Boelter after a manhunt, he allegedly had a list of 45 elected officials he planned to target that included other Democratic lawmakers.
But Boelter’s specific ideologies and full list of targets aren’t necessary to know, says Northeastern University research professor of criminology James Alan Fox, and having this information won’t help bring understanding to “senseless violence.”
“People think they can understand it better if they understand the motives,” Fox says. “But the specifics of it are not important in terms of prosecution and sentencing. … It’s clear, from what we know of his targets, that he had a grudge against Democrats and abortion supporters. We don’t know what themes were going on in his head. The critical issue is whether he did it and whether he’ll be sentenced.”
Fox adds that focusing on Boelter’s ideology, releasing his full list of targets or having him face the death penalty may instead lead to him being viewed as a sympathetic figure — or a martyr like Luigi Mangione, who is facing charges for allegedly killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“What concerns me (is) copycatting, or individuals who see him as a hero,” Fox says. “That obviously would be awful. It does happen, and they’re quite likely are individuals up there who are sympathetic, and that’s truly unfortunate. I hope we don’t have the same kind of support that we had for (Magione). It’s disturbing in itself. The shooting was disturbing, and his following was even more so.”
Fox adds that the punishment Boelter faces may further aggravate this.
“I’m a person who’s firmly opposed to the death penalty,” Fox says. “I don’t see that as a good thing, and in this case, you can easily turn someone into a martyr in the eyes of his supporters. I would rather individuals like this just be put away for life. When people are being executed, there’s a lot more attention focused on them, whereas if somebody just got life in prison, they fade off into obscurity. ”
Boelter allegedly drove to Hoffman’s home in the early hours of June 14 and knocked on the door, posing as a police officer in a mask, body armor and tactical vest. When Hoffman and his wife answered the door, Boelter allegedly shot them before driving to the home of his next target, a state representative who was not home.
The Hoffmans’ daughter called 911, which prompted police to preemptively send an officer to the home of Boelter’s next target. The officer approached Boelter, who then left the scene. State Sen. Ann Rest said Boelter was targeting her home afterward.
Boelter then went to Hortman’s home, where police had also been proactively dispatched. When officers arrived, they found Boelter standing at the front door. The suspect rushed into the home upon seeing police and shot and killed the Hortmans.
Boelter escaped the house, but police found his “hit list,” which had the names of other Minnesota Democratic lawmakers, including Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joseph Thompson said it was unclear what Boelter’s motive was in terms of ideology or specific issue, but Fox says early indicators show he targeted Democrats and people in favor of abortion rights.
“We can take the full list and see if there’s people on there who are pro-life, but that’s something the authorities can do,” Fox says. “I don’t think we should get the full list. I don’t think it serves a purpose other than maybe someone else saying ‘let’s finish the job.’
“I don’t want the names of people on the list out there because it suggests to others like-minded individuals that they have to complete the task. … We already know that there are pro-life people who’ve taken matters in their own hands (with the bombing of Planned Parenthood clinics).”
These shootings follow other high-profile cases of political violence, including the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a campaign event and the arson of the governor’s mansion in Pennsylvania.
“It’s worrisome because we are divided,” Fox says. “Unfortunately, there are individuals who see their role as to win one for their guy or their side, to punish people they hold responsible. We often, obviously, have lots of random shootings in America, but this is not random.”