Illinois politicians not targets in Minnesota shooting, governor says
Illinois politicians were not named on a hit list authorities have linked to the man accused of killing a Minnesota legislator and wounding another over the weekend, Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday.
At the same time, Illinois State Police are scrutinizing evidence provided by Minnesota and federal authorities that relates to Illinois lawmakers.
“The Illinois State Police takes all threats to elected and public officials very seriously,” spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said.
Suspect Vance Boelter surrendered to authorities Sunday following the fatal shootings of Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their Minneapolis-area home early Saturday. Also wounded were a Democratic state senator and his wife.
Pritzker visited the city Friday to give the keynote speech at the state Democratic party’s annual gala and mingled with Hortman.
Hours later, “I got a call very early in the morning Saturday from Gov. (Tim) Walz, a good friend, who called to let me know what happened,” he said.
Pritzker, who has spoken with the FBI and ISP Director Brendan Kelly, called the violence “a horrifying day for Minnesota, and a sad day for America.”
A list of 70 people, including state and federal lawmakers was located in Boelter’s car, along with the names of abortion rights activists, authorities have said.
Police also found documents and records Pritzker characterized as a “hodgepodge,” with about 600 names, including Illinoisans.
“But not, as I have been told, a hit list,” Pritzker added. “The people among them were not targeted in any way.”
Illinois State Police noted that Minnesotan Boelter, 57, was in custody.
“The incident appears to be the work of that single individual and there are no broader threats at this time,” Arnold said.
She added that investigators are vetting information, in paper and electronic form, from Boelter’s property provided by Minnesota and federal law enforcement agencies that relates to Illinois elected officials.
State police “will continue to communicate with Illinois legislators as additional information is available and assessed,” Arnold said. “ISP has communicated with House and Senate leaders about security steps legislators can take, as well as provided ISP contact information should a legislator need additional/specific security recommendations based on their specific situation or environment.”
Also injured in the tragedy were Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, who lived near the Hortmans.
Meanwhile, Illinois state Rep. Nicole La Ha of Homer Glen on Monday urged passage of her Public Safety and Justice Privacy Act.
The legislation prohibits individuals or organizations from publicly sharing personal information like addresses belonging to lawmakers, prosecutors, public defenders and first responders. The prohibition would be triggered by a written request.
“First responders and public servants show up for us every day, on the worst days, and in the hardest moments,” La Ha said in a statement. “They shouldn’t have to worry that doing their job will put a target on their back or a threat at their doorstep.”