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Suspect in Minnesota Lawmaker Shootings Captured; Israel and Iran Fire New Wave of Strikes Overnight; J. J. Spaun Wins U.S. Open With Electrifying Putt on 18. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired June 16, 2025 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, captured. The man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers in custody after a dramatic manhunt. We've got new details on how a trail camera helped police track him down.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Also breaking overnight a new wave of attacks between Israel and Iran. Iran's defense -- Israel's defense minister is are vowing, quote, the residents of Tehran will pay the price, as CNN learns President Trump rejected a plan by Israel to kill Iran's supreme leader.

Plus, a weekend of deadly weather, at least five people killed and several others missing after flashflooding in West Virginia. And more storms could hit parts of the U.S. today.

Kate Bolduan out today. I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: And breaking overnight, manhunt over. The man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses killing two of them, he has been captured. SWAT teams found 57-year-old Vance Boelter crawling in a field not far from a home he owned about an hour southwest of Minneapolis.

Investigators say Boelter shot State Representative Melissa Hortman and State Senator John Hoffman, as well as both of their spouses. Hortman and her husband died in the attacks. Officials believe the shootings would have continued. Investigators found at least two possible hit lists with dozens more targets.

Boelter was armed when he was arrested, and police found multiple firearms in his vehicle.

Let's get right to Danny Freeman in Minneapolis at the Hennepin County Jail. Danny, what's the latest this morning?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, an incredible turn of events here as 57-year-old Vance Boelter was ultimately taken into custody less than 48 hours after he was accused of opening fire on the families of two state lawmakers. He was captured without incident. And police are calling this the end of the largest manhunt in Minnesota State history.

This all unfolded, as you noted, about 50 miles southwest of where we are here in Minneapolis, in a mostly rural part of the state, in Sibley County. That community on edge all day yesterday. I was out there with them and we watched as heavily armed SWAT teams essentially went door to door checking for any sign of the suspect. They were combing wooded areas. They were combing through farmlands as well.

And then the Minnesota Star Tribune reported around 7:00 P.M. a trail camera actually captured an image of what looked like it might have been the suspect that everyone had been looking through for all throughout the day. That helped police zero in on the suspect. And then last night, police said they brought in drones. They were using infrared technology. That's how they were able to ultimately locate Boelter, and then police helped with multiple SWAT units we're able to surround him, corner him, and ultimately get him to surrender. As you noted, John, he was armed at that time, but still there were no injuries when they captured Boelter.

John, needless to say, there's a tremendous amount of relief this morning all across Minnesota now that this capture has happened. I want you to take a listen to how Governor Tim Walz last night during the press conference announcing his capture really was processing this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences. Now's the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country, and each and every one of us can do it. Talk to a neighbor rather than arguing. Debate an issue. Shake hands. Find common ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, John, Boelter is back here in custody in Hennepin County. We're expecting his first court appearance to be later this afternoon. But I just want to take a note because there's been so much appreciation deservedly for law enforcements who have worked so tirelessly throughout the weekend to try and apprehend Boelter. But I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the Hoffman family. State Senator John Hoffman, he and his wife, Yvette, they were shot, they survived the attack.

But we learned from a criminal complaint that their child was actually the first person to call 911 early Saturday morning. The combination of that phone call and also proactive local police officers in the area checking on State Representative Melissa Hortman, that really, according to every law enforcement officer we've been hearing from, prevented this from being so much worse.

[07:05:02]

John?

BERMAN: Quick, courageous thinking, but still what a tragic weekend. Danny Freeman for us in Minneapolis this morning with the latest, Danny, a lot going on there, please keep us posted. Thank you. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Joining us now is CNN Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem. We're looking at, you know, what happened here and that there was this capture after the largest manhunt in Minnesota's history. Does anything stand out to you about how this all went down?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I mean, it is it is typical in terms of a manhunt. It's going to take a combination of technology and crowdsourcing, so to speak, this trail video to find a perpetrator. But it is interesting and worth noting that these manhunts can get easier and shorter because of the number of cameras that are out there. A trail camera was the first thing to pick him up, drones that can cover large areas of surveillance, infrared capacity to see if there's heat, and then law enforcement just swooping in. He eventually had no option. He was armed. He could have committed suicide or he could have shot at police officers, but decided to come out, fortunately, peacefully, and now he can be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

SIDNER: When you look at these images, we're showing images of him at the door wearing what appeared to be police gear, a mask, when you look at that and the fact that he used, you know, law enforcement as a ruse to get to these families, what has that done to and what will that do to the trust between not just lawmakers, but anyone in dealing with the police now?

KAYYEM: I think it's -- I mean, I think it will have national impact. I think that that idea, especially in the middle of the night, if a police officer comes to your home, I think most people will now worry about that. This is why, over the weekend, law enforcement in the area said, look, we're only patrolling by twos because -- in pairs, if not more, because we want the population to be receptive to volunteer information, and they're going to be very, very nervous about this.

Look, it appears he was a wannabe sort of security official. He had a security firm. We don't know what kind of training he had. But he premeditated this in a way to blur that distinction, either to get access into the homes because these were public officials, or to evade, police that gets thwarted at the second home, fortunately, and he had no access to his patrol car.

But this is going to have an impact on that police community interaction, which is so necessary because of crowdsourcing, which essentially goes on in most of these investigations now.

SIDNER: Juliette Kayyem, I know we'll be talking to you throughout the morning, thank you so much for your analysis this morning. John?

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, Iran hits Israeli neighborhoods with a new barrage of strikes. The death toll is rising there this morning.

And then stop policing the oil and gas industry, according to a new CNN report. That's the message from the Trump administration to Environmental Protection Agency staffers. And new video of the moment a truck engulfed in flames, falls from an overpass. We'll tell you what happened to the driver.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

BERMAN: All right, we've got breaking news out of the Middle East. Missiles over Tel Aviv as Israel says, at least eight people were killed overnight by Iranian strikes. It is the latest barrage between the two countries since Israel's surprise attack on Iran's nuclear facilities on Friday.

Video from social media shows explosions in the area around an oil refinery in the Israeli port city of Haifa, and new images from in and around Tel Aviv show the damage in streets covered in debris. The Israel Defense Force say, they've now destroyed more than 120 of Iran's missile launchers, purportedly a third of the total number in the country.

At least 24 people have been killed in total in Israel since the conflict began. That's according to the prime minister's office, while Iran's Health Ministry says at least 224 people have been killed there in the last four days.

CNN's Nic Robertson on the ground in Tel Aviv this morning. Nick, tell us where you are, what you're seeing.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the heart of Tel Aviv, John, the missile, I watched it strike here at about 10:04 in the morning. There was a massive explosion. And we're getting a sense of just what was hit here.

So, you're looking at the lower part of that building. That's a hotel, the upper part there, offices. But that's only part of the damage right here in the heart of this business district in the center of Tel Aviv. Sanjeev (ph) and I are going to walk over. You'll get a sense of what else was hit. You're seeing these little stores over here that were hit and then these lower level apartment buildings.

And you just see the way the front has been sheared off those apartment buildings, no one killed here. Emergency recovery workers literally left here within the past hour. They brought in heavy lift equipment. They're trying to make this safe up here. I don't know, Sanjeev, if you can pan up here. You see the electricians trying to repair the electricity that was ripped down here.

But, look, a couple of takeaways from this, the heart of Tel Aviv, big destruction, sort of where the missile hit down there.

[07:15:00]

But I spoke to one of Israel's leading opposition figures, Yair Lapid. He said he'd come here because his son lived around the corner. He went to see his son's apartment. He said, fortunately his son wasn't hit, that the bed that his one-year-old granddaughter would normally be sleeping in was showered in glass. He said, had the family not gone away, been safe in a shelter somewhere, his granddaughter would have been killed.

But I asked him as well about how long Israel can keep up these strikes on Iran and about the importance, as we are hearing in Israel now, for the U.S. to come on board and help destroy Iran's nuclear facilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So, what do you say to the U.S. right now and President Trump?

YAIR LAPID, ISRAELI OPPOSITION LEADER: listen, President Trump will make up his own mind about what's good for America, but we are telling this is not only a threat for Israel, this is a word for a threat to the entire globe.

ROBERTSON: So, you want them to come in now, the U.S., others?

LAPID: I think it'll be in everybody's interests, the region, the world, the United States, and, of course, Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And in everyone's interest, I asked him what he meant by that. Quite simply, if the United States and others don't support Israel, he believes, and other politicians here do as well, in striking at Iran's nuclear facilities, this conflict that we're witnessing now, the destruction, the center of Tel Aviv or the parts of the country, will continue for much longer.

This is why he's saying it's in everyone's interest for those allies of Israel to get on board and help destroy Iran's nuclear facilities. Far from clear, if they will. But I think the other big takeaway I had from this leader of the opposition here, he said, absolutely, all politicians here in Israel are united. And talking to people around here, they hope it doesn't go on too long. But, yes, they support the government right now.

BERMAN: Yes, certainly no sign of it letting up on either side. Nic Robertson in that neighborhood in Central Tel Aviv, where you can see the damage all around you, Nic, thank you very much, stay safe.

Drones, helicopters and 20 SWAT teams, new details on how authorities captured the man accused of killing a state lawmaker and her husband.

And from collapse to comeback, J. J. Spaun honestly stuns the world with a jaw-dropping finish at the U.S. Open.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

SIDNER: He teed up greatness and nailed the finish, J. J. Spaun delivering two of the best shots of his life when it counted the most. And now, well, he's the U.S. Open Champion.

CNN's Patrick Snell joining us live from Pittsburgh. What stood out to you most about how this all went down?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi, Sara. I think it's fair to say that putt, that iconic putt for the ages, I've never seen a moment like it personally. I've been covering golf majors for around three decades now, absolutely sensational. If you're going to win your first major, that is the way to do it, in some style. He had two shots to win it, Sara, but why take two when you can drain it in 64 feet to win his first career major? Amazing scenes.

And it was the outburst, the euphoria there, getting to share the moment on Father's Day as well with his wife, his two young daughters as well. Just absolutely incredible to see, and reflect also on the terrible start he'd made to his fourth and final round, the deluge, the downpour. Oakmont becoming Soakmont, a 90-minute delay, but he came out the other side of that delay, totally rejuvenated, steely focused as well, and a first career major in the bag.

Let's listen now to his reflections on that putt, on how he won it. Take a listen right now.

J. J. SPAUN, CALIFORNIA NATIVE WINS 125TH U.S. OPEN: About eight feet out, I kind of went up to like the high side to see if it had a chance of going in. It was like going right in and. And I was just in shock, disbelief that it went in and it was over.

Just to finish it off like that is just a dream to have my own moment like that at this championship is -- I'll never forget this moment for the rest of my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: I am sure he won't. And then came the trophy lift. What a way to win the 125th U.S. open here in Pittsburgh, as I mentioned, sharing it with his family.

And what about his own personal story? This is a play who's over had to come many struggles to get to this point. And as recently as late last year, he was 119 in the world in terms of the golf rankings. Now, he's going to be up to number eight.

This is a putt that will be talked about for many, many years to come because it is the most brilliant way, Sara, to win the U.S. Open for any golfer. What a storyline.

Back to you.

SIDNER: Absolutely, on the 18th hole, amazing. Patrick Snell, thank you so much for coming in this morning and giving us some good news, some fun news.

All right, how a trail camera helped police track down the suspect and the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. And sources say, President Trump rejected a plan by Israel to kill Iran's supreme leader. Can the U.S. avoid direct operations in the latest conflict currently unfolding between Israel and Iran?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BERMAN: Breaking overnight, the largest manhunt in Minnesota history now over after police captured a man accused of shooting two lawmakers and their spouses, killing two of them. For days, dozens of law enforcement officers searched for 57-year-old Vance Boelter. He is now charged with two counts of murder and also two counts of attempted murder.

Investigators say he shot and killed State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband. The suspect is also accused of shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Those two survived. Authorities say they found multiple weapons and at least two hit lists, one of them with nearly 70 names on it. CNN has learned that all of the Democratic members of Minnesota's Congressional delegation were on the list.

With us now is CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Jonathan Wackrow. Jonathan, great to see you this morning.

The fact that this suspect was captured very close to a house that he owned, but heavily armed, what does it tell you about whether or not he had plans to get out?

[07:30:00]

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Oh, we know that he had plans. Now, you know, those plans were definitely interrupted.