Police in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park are investigating an overnight break-in at the home of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman, four days after she and her husband were assassinated in what authorities have called a “targeted political” attack.
The home had been boarded up in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. But that was breached sometime overnight, when someone pried the plywood off a back window and broke the glass, making the home a crime scene for a second time, police said Wednesday.
“The home was once again processed by crime scene investigators for evidence of the burglary,” Brooklyn Park police said in an 8 a.m. statement obtained by ABC News. “The home appeared to have been searched by an unknown individual; however, the family has indicated that they don’t believe anything is missing.”
Police were still searching for the intruder on Wednesday and asked neighbors to check surveillance video for potential footage. A police camera was trained on the front of the house, authorities told The Minnesota Star Tribune, but their statement did not specify whether that generated any glimpses of the suspect.
The Hortmans were fatally shot at around 3:35 a.m. Saturday by a man who arrived at their door dressed as a police officer. Investigators said their home was the fourth stop for 57-year-old suspect Vance Boelter in a spree that began at the home of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. They both suffered multiple gunshot wounds and said they’re “lucky to be alive.”
Boelter then allegedly stopped at the homes of two other lawmakers before gunning down Melissa and Mark Hortman and their dog.
Boelter was arrested Sunday night after a nearly two-day manhunt. He’s currently behind bars on $5 million bond awaiting a June 27 court appearance.
Tributes continued to pour in through Wednesday for Hortman, a Democrat and former Speaker of the House known as a tough negotiator and “the most consequential” speaker in state history, as colleagues on both sides of the aisle have remembered her.
In Washington on Tuesday, U.S. Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith honored Hortman in remarks on the Senate floor.
A candlelight vigil honoring the Hortmans was scheduled for Wednesday night at the state capitol in Minnesota.
With News Wire Services
