AMNA NAWAZ: Federal and state officials are bringing multiple charges, including murder, against the suspect in the shooting of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers.

Both were attacked this weekend, along with their spouses.

State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed.

Today, investigators released new details about the attack and how the suspect, Vance Boelter, stalked others in a burst of political violence.

William Brangham begins with this report.

JOSEPH THOMPSON, Acting U.S. Attorney: It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Today, federal officials laid out new chilling details about the attack over the weekend that killed a state lawmaker and her husband.

They say the suspect allegedly visited two other lawmakers' homes during the deadly rampage.

JOSEPH THOMPSON: In the early morning hours of June 14, Boelter went to the homes of four Minnesota state politicians with the intent to kill them.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: It began overnight on Friday, when authorities say the suspect showed up at the home of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife disguised as a police officer and shot them repeatedly.

They both undergone surgery and are expected to survive.

Next, officials say the suspect drove an SUV altered to look like a police vehicle, like this one found near his home, to the houses of two other state lawmakers.

Neither were there.

Authorities say an officer in the town of New Hope tried to speak with the suspect.

JOSEPH THOMPSON: The New Hope police officer believed that Boelter was a police officer who had been dispatched to the scene.

The New Hope police officer pulled up next to Boelter in his car, rolled down her window, and attempted to speak with him.

Boelter did not respond.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: They say he then drove to the home of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman.

The FBI released these photos of the suspect at their door wearing a rubber mask and a fake police uniform.

When officers arrived at the scene, he allegedly rushed into the house and shot and killed Hortman and her husband, Mark.

The suspect then fled out the back of the house.

This eyewitness video shows his fake police car in the driveway, lights still flashing.

What followed was what officials called the largest coordinated manhunt in Minnesota history.

Authorities closed in on the alleged shooter yesterday after locating his vehicle next to a wooded area near his home.

SWAT teams scoured the woods, found him, and he surrendered peacefully.

Federal officials say they found writings of the alleged killer's home and car that included dozens of names of other state and federal lawmakers, but his exact motive is still unknown.

JOSEPH THOMPSON: This was a political assassination, which is not a word we use very often in the United States, let alone here in Minnesota.

It's a chilling attack on our democracy, on our way of life, and I hope it's a wakeup call to everyone that people can disagree with you without being evil or needing to be killed or hurt.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The shootings come as politicians nationwide have dealt with an uptick in political violence.

That includes Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who was the target of an arson attack at his residence in April.

He wrote on X -- quote -- "We all have a responsibility to stand up and work to defeat the political violence that is tearing through our country.

America is better than this."

And President Trump, who survived two assassination attempts last summer, he called the Minnesota shootings a targeted attack, writing on TRUTH Social -- quote -- "Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America."

Meanwhile, Minnesotans continue to grapple with the tragic loss of a respected lawmaker and her husband as a result of that violence.

So, for more on the fallout from these killings, we are joined by Lisa Demuth.

She is the Republican speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and she worked closely with Representative Melissa Hortman in recent years.

Speaker Demuth, thank you so much for talking with us and our condolences to you and all your colleagues for this awful tragedy that has befallen you.

I wonder if I could just get your reaction to some of the developments that came out today, notably that this alleged killer had targeted four different lawmakers' homes and had been planning this attack what sounds like for several months.

STATE REP. LISA DEMUTH (R-MN): Thank you, William.

And with the targeting of other lawmakers and the unspeakable tragedy, with the loss of Melissa and Mark Hortman, and the shooting of Senator Hoffman and his spouse, this is something that no one in the state of Minnesota or anyone would have ever been able to imagine.

As more of the details are unfolding to recognize that there were other targets, it is incredibly unsettling.

We are grateful for law enforcement that has now arrested the suspect.

It brings a level of comfort to the state of Minnesota, especially elected officials, but this is far from over.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: How are all you and all your colleagues holding up?

I mean, I just -- I can't imagine having to work and be in communication with each other in a moment like this.

STATE REP. LISA DEMUTH: This is incredibly difficult.

And our deepest condolences definitely go to the family, the Hortman family and their loss, and the Hoffman family as they are recovering.

Also, the colleagues here at work, the House Democrat Caucus, for sure, but the entire legislature here in Minnesota, have been facing such a serious time of concern and fear and deep, deep grief that this is something that no one ever could have expected.

We are making it through as best we can.

Again, very grateful for law enforcement and the work that they're doing, but we have an incredibly long road ahead, as we try to restore people's sense of safety as elected officials here in the state of Minnesota.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: As I mentioned, you worked very closely with Representative Hoffman, especially when the legislature was very evenly split.

Just recently, you helped shepherd a bipartisan state budget together through.

Can you tell us a little bit about Representative Hoffman and what she was like as a friend and a colleague?

STATE REP. LISA DEMUTH: Representative Hoffman was a phenomenal political leader and just a great person overall.

She became speaker in 2019, and that's when I was first elected to the legislature.

So she's the only speaker that I have ever served under.

When I became the minority leader in 2023, her party was in full control of state government, but yet she reached out and she said, let's meet weekly so we can get to know each other and the work that we have ahead of us.

That really showed incredible leadership and strength and character.

And so the relationship we were able to build over '23 and '24, then, when we came into the tie this year and needing to negotiate an organizational agreement here in the House of Representatives, we -- although we disagree on some things politically, we were able to move through and come to the best decisions and do our job to serve the people of Minnesota and, like you mentioned, a bipartisan agreement on the state budget.

And we finished that work just one week ago today.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, as we heard from the acting U.S. attorney, he referred to this as a political assassination.

And as someone like yourself who has worked across the aisle in this fraught political moment, I wonder how you assess the ongoing threat of political violence.

STATE REP. LISA DEMUTH: Political violence has no place in our state and in our country.

And I will stand by that all the time.

We know that people are going to have differences and we will disagree about some things, but there is absolutely no reason for political violence.

The person that conducted this horrendous attack on elected officials and the assassination of the Hortmans, that is not a political party.

That is someone that is completely unhinged.

And we have to pull together in the work that we are doing and start slowly healing and making things better, as we can here in the House of Representatives, here in the state of Minnesota, and it's political leaders that will be able to set the tone for that.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, that is Speaker Lisa Demuth of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Speaker, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us.

STATE REP. LISA DEMUTH: Thank you very much, William.