The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) has clarified reports from Minnesota law enforcement that a Nebraskan or multiple Nebraskans were among the list of names created by the suspect in this weekend’s shootings of public officials in Minnesota.
“NSP has been in contact with the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding this case and, at this point, there is no known threat to any Nebraskan, nor have the names of any Nebraskans been located on any such list. NSP will continue to coordinate with the FBI and Minnesota authorities should the ongoing investigation reveal any connection to Nebraska,” said the agency in a statement.
This clarifies a statement made on Sunday by Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, who told reporters that a notebook found in the car of 57-year-old Vance Boelter—the now captured suspect in the shootings of two Democratic Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses—contained names of several possible targets in other states, naming: Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan.
It appears Evans misspoke, as NSP says there is no active threat to any Nebraskan at this time, nor was any Nebraskan named on the list.
“There was not a Nebraskan on the list,” said Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen on his monthly statewide call-in show Monday, reacting to this development. “It doesn’t take any pain or agony away for any American anywhere, there’s absolutely no place for violence of any kind, much less somebody that’s trying to make things better. [My] heart just goes out.”
The names on the list are largely Democrats or figures with ties to Planned Parenthood or the abortion rights movement. Minnesota elected officials were prominently featured on the list, including Governor Tom Walz, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, as reported by local media.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed a motive, but the nature of the list suggests a possible political or ideological motivation. Acting US Attorney Joe Thompson said Monday that a total of 45 Minnesota state and federal officials were listed in the notebook.
Boelter is accused of shooting and killing Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in the same attack at the Hortman home in the pre-dawn hours of June 14, 2025, in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Earlier that morning, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, were also shot in their home in nearby Champlin, and have been hospitalized.
Police exchanged gunfire with the attacker believed to be Boelter at the Hortman home, but the shooter escaped, prompting what officials called “the largest manhunt in state history.”
Boelter allegedly went to the homes of four other state representatives with the intention of killing them, according to Thompson. Officials say he impersonated a law enforcement officer when knocking on the Hoffmans’ front door, reportedly shouting “This is the police, open the door.”
Early on June 15, 2025, police located a vehicle believed to have been used by Boelter a few miles from his home in Green Isle, Minnesota. Later that evening, Boelter was arrested in a field in Sibley County, Minnesota.
Monday morning, six federal charges were filed against Boelter, including two for the murder of Hortmans, two firearms offenses in the shooting of the Hortmans and Hoffmans, and two charges related to stalking Sen. Hoffman and Rep. Hortman using interstate commerce.
Boelter is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison and could receive the death penalty, if convicted and sought by prosecutors. He also faces murder charges in the state of Minnesota, and those charges carry a maximum of life in prison without parole. Authorities say the federal charges are likely to be litigated first.