Search for 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, charged with killing Democratic politician Melissa Hortman and her husband, enters a second day.

A massive search in the United States for a man who authorities say posed as a police officer and fatally shot a Democratic state lawmaker in Minnesota has stretched into a second day, with the state’s governor calling it “a politically motivated assassination”.

The suspect, identified as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, also allegedly shot and wounded a second Democratic lawmaker and his wife, according to law enforcement officials and the FBI.

The large-scale manhunt entered its second day on Sunday after Boelter allegedly killed former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis city, early on Saturday.

Boelter is also accused of shooting and wounding Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home about 15km (9 miles) away in the nearby town of Champlin.

The suspect abandoned a vehicle that looked like a police SUV and fled on foot after firing at police at Hortman’s home, authorities said, adding that officers found a “manifesto” and a target list of other politicians and institutions in the vehicle.

Boelter should be considered armed and dangerous and is believed to still be in the Minneapolis-St Paul area, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans told a news briefing, adding that it was too soon to determine a motive.

The FBI issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Boelter, a former political appointee, served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, though it is unclear if or how well they knew each other. An online resume describes him as a security contractor with experience in the Middle East and Africa, along with past managerial roles in Minnesota companies.

A Minnesota official told The Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity that Boelter’s writings contained information targeting prominent lawmakers who have championed abortion rights.

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Boelter sent texts to friends hours after the shootings, saying he had “made some choices” and adding: “I’m going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn’t gone this way … I’m sorry for all the trouble this has caused.”

‘Stand against political violence’

Hortman, a mother of two who had served 20 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, was remembered by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as someone with “grace, compassion and tirelessness”.

Walz, who was Kamala Harris’s Democratic vice presidential running mate in last year’s presidential election, said the attacker went to the Hortmans’ residence after shooting the Hoffmans multiple times in their home in Champlin.

“We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,” said Walz, a Democrat. He also ordered flags to fly at half-staff in Hortman’s honour.

“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!” President Donald Trump said in a statement.

The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated amid deep political divisions in the US.

In April, a suspect set fire to the home of Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, forcing him and his family to flee during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The suspect said he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he found him, according to court documents.

In July 2024, Trump was grazed on the ear by one of a hail of bullets that killed one of his supporters. Two months later, a man near Trump’s Florida golf course with a rifle was discovered and arrested.

Other incidents include a 2022 hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in their San Francisco home and a 2020 plot by antigovernment hardliners to kidnap Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and start a civil war.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he asked Capitol police to “immediately increase security” for Minnesota Democratic Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith.

WINGER, Minn. — World War I was an international tragedy, but the town of Winger has found a new way to honor those who died in WWI battles more than a century ago.

Seven men from the Winger area died in World War I, and a memorial was made in their honor. On Saturday, June 14, the community will hold its second annual Flag Day celebration, at which the memory of its WWI veterans, specifically Nels T. Wold, will be honored. There will be events for adults and children all day, as well as a proper American flag retirement and disposal.

“Winger has always had a great personality,” said Dean Henney, vice commander of American Legion Post 200. “In a way, (this event) brings life back into (old community celebrations) and showcases the town in the best months of the year.”

Since the dedication of the memorial 100 years ago, the American Legion Post wanted to do something special. Last year, Legion members started an annual Flag Day celebration to hold for the community so they could be together and learn about, and have the opportunity to properly dispose of their old, tattered and frayed American flags.

Winger is a town of approximately 174 residents in eastern Polk County, Minnesota.

The event Saturday at the Winger Community Center marks exactly 100 years since the memorial to Wold and WWI soldiers in Winger was dedicated, with 5,000 people in attendance. The event will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 4 p.m., followed by a dance from 7 to 10 p.m.

Seven men from Winger fought and gave their lives in WWI, the most notable being Wold, who helped the advancement of his company to help end the war.

On Sept. 26, 1918, the largest and final American battle of WWI that forced the Germans out of France began and took the lives of two Winger veterans, Wold and Selmer Ekre.

Known as the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the battle took place in the Meuse-Argonne region of France. In this battle, Wold showed great acts of bravery – and on his first day, too.

On Sept. 26, 1918, Wold earned the Medal of Honor. He personally saved 11 hostages, saved a fellow comrade from a German soldier and took out four German machine gun nests — which were very well hidden, had the range to kill people at long distances and usually had four to six people in them. Unfortunately, the fifth German machine gun nest saw Wold coming and killed him, but Wold’s company continued his work and destroyed that one as well.

Henney said one woman who knew Wold said, “Last time I saw Nels Wold, he told me he was going to bring the kaiser’s head back on a silver platter.”

According to online information and documents in the possession of Henney, Wold’s sacrifice helped his company advance in a crucial part of WWI.

There is a display dedicated to Wold in Winger Hall that people can see on Saturday at the Flag Day celebration.

It is also important to the American Legion Post 200 that events are done to bring together the community, create great memories for children and appeal to younger veterans who may join. There is a lack of veterans under the age of 60, according to Henney.

Serving the purpose of the community, Post 200 planned several activities for families of all sizes and community members alike. There will be bicycle drawings throughout the day and activities for children, lots of food, a car show, a silent auction, an old-style country music dance and more for the whole community, and neighboring communities.

American Legion Post 200 also is looking to help the community in other ways. There are women veterans who no longer have have a women’s Legion auxiliary so, according to Henney, the men are trying to help reestablish the women’s post. The women’s Legion post usually does things for children and helps get them involved in patriotic activities.

Henney and the American Legion encourage everyone to come to the event, since, as Henney said, “an understanding of history makes life so much richer.”