MASSIVE MANHUNT
Boelter’s wife and other family members received a text message at 6.18am (7.18pm) that read, “Dad went to war last night… I don’t wanna say more because I don’t wanna implicate anybody,” according to the affidavit. A second text warned them to leave the house because some “armed and trigger-happy” people were coming.
Boelter’s wife also consented to a search of her car, which turned up two handguns, about US$10,000 cash and passports for family members, who were in the car when police came to the house, the affidavit said.
Authorities said the investigation would determine if Boelter’s wife had any role in, or was aware of, the suspect’s plan beforehand. He has five children, according to media reports.
Around 7am (8pm, Singapore time) on Saturday, Boelter encountered someone at a bus stop in Minneapolis and eventually offered to buy his Buick, according to prosecutors.
Investigators on Sunday found the Buick in rural Sibley County about an hour’s drive from Minneapolis, near Boelter’s listed home address. Inside the car, officers found a handwritten letter to the FBI, in which Boelter gave his name and admitted to the shootings, according to the affidavit.
More than 20 SWAT teams combed the area, aided by surveillance aircraft. Boelter, who was armed, crawled from a wooded area and surrendered to police in a field.
Minnesota US Senator Amy Klobuchar shared on social media a text from Yvette Hoffman on Sunday that said her husband had been shot nine times, while she was shot eight times.
“We are both incredibly lucky to be alive,” Yvette Hoffman wrote. “We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark.”
