A manhunt and search for a motive in Minnesota
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 16 June 2025
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Last night, police arrested Vance Boelter, the man suspected of shooting two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses. One couple died. The other survived.
The details of Boelter’s life and what might have pushed him to commit these crimes are still coming into focus. But police say he planned the attack meticulously. We also know he is a devout Christian, fervently antiabortion, and kept a long hit list of other Democrats.
Colby Itkowitz speaks with national reporter Patrick Marley about the shootings and how Boelter was apprehended.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and Maggie Penman, and mixed by Sean Carter.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Today we are learning more about the man who allegedly shot two Minnesota lawmakers and |
| 0:07.6 | their spouses over the weekend. |
| 0:10.2 | One couple died, the other survived. |
| 0:13.5 | The suspect, Vance Luther Beltter, was arrested last night after a two-day manhunt. |
| 0:18.6 | In a press conference held by the FBI today, we learned more |
| 0:21.6 | details about the alleged extent of his planning. Law enforcement officials said Belter had stalked |
| 0:26.7 | his victims, posed as a police officer, and tried to conceal his identity by covering his face. |
| 0:31.9 | Again, he was dressed as a law enforcement officer, wearing a tactical vest and body armor, carrying a handgun |
| 0:39.7 | and a flashlight, and wearing that same hyper-realistic silicon mask. Again, the images, |
| 0:47.0 | as you can see on the screen, are haunting. It seems like the targets were Democrats and supporters |
| 0:53.2 | of abortion rights. |
| 0:56.8 | A federal law enforcement official said, quote, |
| 0:59.6 | these were targeted political assassinations. |
| 1:06.0 | From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post reports. |
| 1:10.6 | I'm Colby Echowitz. It's Monday, June 16th. |
| 1:14.9 | Today, a conversation with reporter Patrick Marley. |
| 1:18.2 | He joined us from Minnesota this morning, where he's been covering this story since the attacks early on Saturday. |
| 1:24.2 | He breaks down what we know about the shootings, the suspect, and how this incident fits into a wider pattern of political violence in America. |
| 1:40.2 | Also, just a heads up, Patrick and I learned later in the day that the suspect's name is pronounced |
| 1:45.7 | Belter, not Bolter. So apologies in advance for that mispronunciation. Patrick, hi, I know you've |
| 1:54.1 | been out reporting the story all day and all night. Walk us through what we know about the attack on these Minnesota lawmakers. |
| 2:04.1 | How did this all begin? |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Washington Post, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Washington Post and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.