Fact Check: "Accused killer also shot a state senator and his wife hours before."
What We Know
The claim that the accused killer shot a state senator and his wife hours before is misleading. On the night of the attacks, Vance Luther Boelter is accused of shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, before proceeding to kill Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Reports indicate that the Hoffmans were shot first at their home in Champlin, Minnesota, around 2:00 AM, and the Hortmans were attacked shortly thereafter at their home in Brooklyn Park, approximately eight miles away, around 3:35 AM (BBC, ABC News).
Both incidents occurred within a short time frame, but the sequence of events indicates that the Hoffmans were indeed shot before the Hortmans, not concurrently or in a separate incident hours apart.
Analysis
The assertion that the accused killer shot a state senator and his wife "hours before" the attack on the Hortmans lacks precision. According to multiple sources, Boelter first targeted the Hoffmans, who survived the attack, before moving on to the Hortmans, who were tragically killed (BBC, New York Times).
Federal officials have confirmed that Boelter's actions were part of a planned attack targeting multiple lawmakers, which included surveillance of their homes and a list of potential victims (Minnesota Reformer). The timeline of the events is critical; the shootings of the Hoffmans and the Hortmans occurred within a span of approximately 90 minutes, not hours.
The reliability of the sources reporting these events is high, as they include reputable news organizations and official statements from law enforcement. The information is corroborated across multiple outlets, including the BBC, ABC News, and the New York Times, which all report similar timelines and details regarding the attacks.
Conclusion
Verdict: False
The claim that the accused killer shot a state senator and his wife hours before the attack on the Hortmans is false. The evidence indicates that the shootings of both couples occurred in quick succession, with the Hoffmans being attacked first. The phrasing of "hours before" is misleading and does not accurately reflect the timeline of events.
Sources
- Minnesota assassination survivor and husband shot 17 times
- Minnesota shooting suspect went to homes of two more ...
- Suspect Planned to 'Inflict Fear' With Wider Killing Spree, Prosecutors ...
- Catching Minnesota assassination suspect: How a hunch and a mistake led ...
- Suspect who terrorized Minnesota's political leaders after ...
- Feds: Boelter stopped at two other lawmakers' homes between shootings ...
