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Israel Bracing For New Incoming Missiles From Iran; More Details Revealed About Minnesota Shooting Suspect; Trump To Attend G7 Meeting In Canada; Update From Officials On Manhunt For Assassination Suspect. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired June 15, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: And that's because the Israelis have developed an even earlier warning system. Once they detect that preparations are being made in Iran for ballistic missiles or drones to be fired in the direction of Israel, they give people that warning. And that means that once those air raid sirens actually sound, people are already closer to those protected areas because at that point they really only have one to two minutes maximum to be able to get to shelter before those missiles could potentially hit.
We know that already tonight, there was an earlier barrage of ballistic missiles from Iran with one of those missiles striking residential buildings in the city of Haifa. Seven people were injured as a result of that attack. There was also a damage to a synagogue in southern Israel as the result of falling shrapnel. Amid that barrage, two people were injured there.
And as we are speaking, I'm also getting an alert from the Israeli military that Israel is also carrying out strikes in Iran right now. The military saying that they are currently striking surface-to- surface missile sites in central Iran. Those would likely be the same missile sites that would be used to carry out attacks against Israel. And so we are seeing this continued escalation by these two sides as they continue to trade blow after blow.
And here, millions of people in Israel, awoken by that warning and now preparing to go into those shelters as soon as we hear those sirens.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And Jeremy, you note that this continues to escalate. Obviously, you are based there in Israel. Help people understand how significant it is that civilians and civilian targets are suffering and getting hit with so much damage that there has been so much widespread damage in Israel. That is not something that Israelis are accustomed to.
DIAMOND: Yes. Especially here in in Tel Aviv, Jessica. I mean, the last time that residents here endured the kind of strikes, the kind of damage and the injuries and the deaths that have happened now was more than 30 years ago during the Gulf War in 1991, when scud missiles were fired on the city of Tel Aviv. But between that time and now, you know, any Israeli who is younger than that would simply not recall a time when they have seen this level of attack being directed at Tel Aviv.
And, you know, the first night that things happened here, the first night that we saw Israel strike Iran and then subsequently Iran strike back, there was a sense among many Israelis that this was another round that was happening, similar to what we saw back in October, for example. Frightening for sure for many, but also something that they felt they were prepared for and relatively accustomed to.
I can tell you that today, following a night during which 10 people were killed, many of those in a residential building in Rishon LeZion, which is just on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, there is a very different feeling among people here. At rush hour this evening, the streets were practically empty as people really have been starting to hunker down, grabbing supplies, staying near their shelters, staying with family, not going to work in many cases, and really bracing for what is going to be an unknown period of time here.
This conflict showing no signs of de-escalating, showing no signs of either side picking an off-ramp here, and instead it seems that they will continue to climb up this ladder of escalation. To what end remains unclear in particular because, as we were discussing last hour, Jessica, there is uncertainty about whether or not Israel can achieve its goals here of eradicating Iran's nuclear program with the Israeli national security adviser saying himself that it cannot be accomplished through Israel's military means alone.
And so that ultimately means either a diplomatic solution with Iran from a much weaker position, something that Iran has ruled out as long as these attacks continue for the moment, or potentially a military solution that brings the United States into play, which President Trump, for the time being at least, has said that he will not join.
DEAN: OK. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. Please stand by again as Israel, where you are, braces for this new incoming round of missiles.
I want to go to Aaron David Miller now, who is joining us.
Thanks so much for being here with us. As we just heard from Jeremy, and I think this is the key question right now. How does this end? What is the end game? Is it a diplomatic solution or is it with the U.S. getting involved militarily and that we just don't know at this point?
AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: You know, Jessica, a great question. Hard to know. Look, we're 18 months after October 7th. 18 months, a year and a half. If you told me October 8th, 9th, 10th, that the Israeli-Gaza, the Israeli-Hamas war would be continuing 18 months on with absolutely no signs of abating, I would have said, there's no way this could happen.
[18:05:09]
The truth is, the headlines here, I'm afraid, over the last three days, are going to be the trend lines. The Israelis have escalation dominance. They have air supremacy. And frankly, they have an extraordinary amount of political supremacy. There's very little pushback from Europe, from the three countries the Israelis care about, the French, the Germans and the Brits. Donald Trump is riding the tiger on this one. Whether he was -- whether he'd tried to constrain the Israelis or not, he didn't say no.
So this is going to go on, I would think, at least another week. I would see only two circumstances under which the trajectory would change. Number one, the Iranians, in attacking urban sites, end up causing a mass casualty event where you have an apartment building, Israelis who haven't gone to shelters or some set of circumstances in which you get enormous numbers of Israeli casualties.
That is going to put the Trump administration under extraordinary pressure to intercede, or second, the Iranians, over time, realize, as one Israeli former general quipped, we're playing soccer with the Iranians. The only difference is they don't have a goalie. Over time, the Iranians basically conclude that this really is hurting them, and it's stressing regime stability. And they go to Washington, they go to Trump, and they say, look, we have to find a way out of this.
At that point, President Trump, who's already said he wants to restart negotiations and peace is possible, and we're calling this person or that, responds and they work to see whether or not they could persuade the Israelis to step down. Other than that, seems to me we're in for another week, 10 days, two weeks of this.
DEAN: Yes. And we learned today that two U.S. officials were telling CNN that President Trump did reject this Israeli plan to kill Iran's supreme leader. It would appear that Israel's -- part of its endgame is regime change there. Can that be achieved without targeting the ayatollah?
A. MILLER: Well, regime change, that would mean essentially that the Israelis could create a situation where there was some alternative political force in Iran that could challenge the regime, that could essentially cause its fracture, a political force that the Israelis have been cultivating over the course of the last several years, either with money or with promise of their ruling in Tehran.
I don't see that happening. If this goes on long enough, I think you'll see instability. You'll see regime dysfunction. You'll see the command and control increasingly disrupted. Maybe, maybe Iranians deprived of electricity, water, gas, if this goes on long enough. But I just don't see that as an outcome.
DEAN: All right, Aaron David Miller, as always, it is great to have you here with us to talk through some of this. Thank you very much.
A. MILLER: Thank you, Jessica.
DEAN: And again, we're going to keep our eye on what is happening there. We will bring it to you. We will let you know as soon as we know what's going on in Israel and Iran. We are also following breaking news out of Minnesota right now, where a manhunt is underway for the gunman who shot two state lawmakers and their spouses. At any minute now, we are going to hear from law enforcement officials with an update on the search for that suspect. CNN's Whitney Wild is live in Blaine, Minnesota. That's where the
press conference is set to begin soon.
Whitney, as we wait for that press conference to begin, I know you and the investigative team have done a deep dive into this suspect. What are you learning? Where does this investigation stand right now?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are really two pieces of his background that are bringing greater texture to, you know, who he is overall. And the first piece, Jessica, is that he appears to have been a leader at this private security company that offered armed patrol of client properties, and that's a really important piece of information because it gives some clarity into how he might have acquired all of this gear that made him look like a legitimate law enforcement officer.
What we know, based on what law enforcement has said, is that when he knocked on the door at least at State Senator John Hoffman's home, that State Senator John Hoffman opened the door thinking he was a real law enforcement officer. Further, Jessica, local police during one of those press conferences yesterday said he looked so much like a real police officer that if he was standing in this room surrounded by other law enforcement, you would think he was a real cop. That, again, is how realistic he looked.
Further, Jessica, we're also learning that he was an evangelical Christian. He had preached all around the world. And in some of these social media posts and videos that CNN has been able to review, he was highly critical of the American approach to LGBTQ rights.
[18:10:01]
Notably, though, Jessica, there's not a lot of discussion of politics in a formal way on his social media. So there's this outstanding question of what was the spark that caused what Governor Tim Walz is calling a politically motivated assassination. What we know is that he had a manifesto with 70 names. You know, largely these were Democrat lawmakers. These were people who are -- were engaged in the abortion rights movement, people associated with Planned Parenthood in some capacity.
So, again, there's this gap between this man who again was this evangelical preacher and then this man who law enforcement says committed these absolute atrocities. And further, Jessica, when you're speaking with people who know him, they express absolute shock that the man they thought they knew was capable of such a horrifying act. And so what law enforcement is going to try to do here is bridge the gap. Where did this spark ignite and why? So let's first listen to what a friend of his said just about him and about their friendship. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CARLSON, SUSPECT'S ROOMMATE AND FRIEND: I mean, he was a loving, caring guy, you know, loved his family, loved his friends and loved God. And I don't know why he did what he did. It's just -- it's not Vance. No one will believe this. No one that grew up, he had lots of friends, trust me. And I wish I could have been there to stop him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: Jessica, this investigation has also led to a rural area called Sibley County, Minnesota, and that's where law enforcement zeroed in earlier today on a vehicle that had been abandoned. What we saw were, you know, several, I mean, dozens if not 100 law enforcement officers combing that area. It was a dirt road. Again, this vehicle that was abandoned was on the side. And so what you saw were law enforcement approaching the vehicle and then working their way through the field and then the forest that surrounded this vehicle.
So what we're hoping for in the next, let's see, you know, 20 minutes or so in this press conference starts is a little more information on, you know, the relevance of that vehicle. You know, if he owned it, if he -- if it was stolen, you know, there are obviously so many questions surrounding how he got there, whose vehicle that is. So that's where, you know, some of the many questions that we're hoping to learn at this press conference here at 5:30 Central Time, Jessica.
DEAN: All right, Whitney Wild, please stand by there in Blaine, Minnesota. We will come back to you once that begins.
I do want to bring in CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller.
John, you have some new reporting about some of the evidence law enforcement is finding. What have you discovered?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Yesterday afternoon, they raided a house in North Minneapolis that was associated with the subject. And what they were looking for is things we've discussed, electronics, phones, computers, thumb drives, anything that would give them a deeper, richer picture of this individual. But what they found was what appears to be a second hit list with more than a dozen names that are different from the ones that were on the hit list found in the car, which had approximately 70 names.
So that has really kept them busy through last night into today. Identifying those people, going out to them and warning them that they too are on a hit list, or what appears to be a hit list that was compiled by this subject. And of course, then they have to provide them special attention, law enforcement, protection, and so on depending on the exact circumstance. So that was an additional development.
DEAN: Yes. And there's also additionally just the question of more questions around this car. How did it get there? How was he able to move around? How has he been able -- is anyone helping him? These have to be some of the things that obviously officials are looking into, and that we might get some clarity on potentially at this press conference that's coming up.
J. MILLER: Well, we're hoping to learn, do they believe that he abandoned the car, that it ran out of gas, that he walked away from it into the woods, into the brush, you know, beyond the farms? It's really, I mean, you can walk pretty far around there. There's nothing but one farm that runs into another farm that runs into another farm, or there is this other possibility, which is he contacted a friend and associate. Somebody met him and he switched into another car that is not one that's on the radar in terms of people who are looking for him. Maybe we will get some more light on that at the 6:30 press conference.
DEAN: And John, you have mentioned, you've been part of investigations, manhunts like this before for various suspects. What kind of break are law enforcement hoping for here? What kind of -- when does it start to come together? In your experience what kind of break do you do? Is it a mistake that this person makes? What typically happens?
[18:15:04]
J. MILLER: Well, when you put the squeeze on, you know, the people around them and you shrink their world, you make them more mistake prone. But to answer your question directly, you're looking for two things. Somebody who knows him, who said he just reached out to me and he's headed this way, or somebody who doesn't know him at all, but has seen those pictures on CNN who said, I just spotted him, and this is where he is now.
DEAN: Yes. And in the end, I guess it really does come down to the public to really help out.
All right, John Miller, stand by. We will talk with you very shortly. Thank you so much for that.
We are still following that breaking news out of Israel, where Israelis are bracing for a new round of incoming missiles from Iran. The growing conflict sure to dominate the summit of the world leaders that President Trump is attending this week at the G7. More on all of this when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:30]
DEAN: New trade fights, missile attacks in the Middle East and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, all will be topics at this year's G7 conference. President Donald Trump is headed to Canada for the annual meeting of the leaders of the seven of the world's largest economies. Other world leaders are invited, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
CNN's senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak is joining us now from Canada.
And, Kevin, this is a big week with a lot of things happening around the globe. What are we expecting?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's certainly true. And I think the conflict between Israel and Iran is going to be the overhang for this summit. A lot of President Trump's counterparts are coming here really trying to suss out exactly what his position is going forward. Obviously, there are all these other areas of contention that the president has sort of injected a degree of discord into the global diplomatic space, like Ukraine, like tariffs. But it is this conflict in the Middle East that I think is at the front of a lot of leaders' minds.
We just actually heard from President Trump. He's just departing the White House to come here to Canada. And just to give you a little bit of what he said on this particular topic, he was asked if the U.S. would continue to support Israel's defenses. He said, yes, they would. He was asked if he had asked Israel to pause some of its airstrikes in Iran, and sort of interestingly, he said he didn't want to talk about that.
And then the president said that he hoped that there would be a deal, but sometimes they have to fight it out. And so I think exactly where the president is landing on this is still something of an open question for some of these leaders. He talks about this prospect of diplomatic resolution, of trying to revive some of these nuclear talks that have been ongoing before this began. But of course, Iran says that those are essentially scuttled while this attack is still ongoing.
And so I think when the president talks with his counterparts here in Alberta, here in Canada, that's something that they'll try and suss out. One thing that the president mentioned earlier today was the prospect that actually Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, could potentially mediate these talks. But already one other member of the G7, the French President Emmanuel Macron, has essentially rejected that idea.
So you already see some differences creeping in here. And at the end of the day, that has been true for President Trump's engagements at foreign summits since his first term. They have always been colored with some degree of discord. And I'm thinking specifically back to the last time Canada hosted the G7. And that summit was probably remembered best for what has now become that iconic photograph of the president sitting sort of cross-armed, glowering as Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan, essentially loom over him as they try and hash out this joint statement that the president eventually ended up tearing up.
The Canadian hosts of this year's summit are trying to avoid some of that acrimony, some of that discord. They have already said that they aren't planning to put out a joint communique, which was the subject of that argument that was captured on film in 2018. They're also trying to host fewer sort of lengthy group meetings and more one-on- one discussions, which at the end of the day, is something that the president prefers over those big multilateral talks.
But there are a lot for them to discuss, whether it's Ukraine, the potential for adding new sanctions on Moscow. President Trump has also said that he thinks Russia should be readmitted to the G7. So that's a point of contention. And then there's also that deadline that's coming up July 9th for the president to negotiate all of these new trade deals or impose those sort of punishing new tariffs.
He's only so far announced a deal with the United Kingdom and China. Those are frameworks. And so that's something that I think the president and his counterparts are really going to have to hash out when they get around the table up here in Canada -- Jessica.
DEAN: So much more to come on this. Kevin Liptak, we'll be following it all. Thank you so much.
And just a note, we are going to bring you the president's remarks as soon as we get them. So keep an eye out for that. Also, we are standing by for this news conference coming out of Minnesota. The latest on the manhunt there, the search for Vance Boelter. We will hear from authorities very soon. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:29:10]
DEAN: President Trump spoke just moments ago as he departed the White House on his way to the G7 meeting in Canada. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So we're going to Canada. Last night was a tremendous success with a fantastic audience. It was supposed to rain. They gave it a 100 percent chance of rain and it didn't rain at all. It was beautiful. And so I asked if they gave it 100 percent chance, right? 100 percent it was going to rain like crazy. And it didn't rain at all. How did they predict 100 years out and 50 years out, or 200 years out? They didn't do too well, the weather people last night, but it was beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you and the Prime Minister Netanyahu on the same page concerning how to deal with Iran?
TRUMP: Well, we get along very well, and I will tell you that I think we have great respect for each other.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can you give us --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: -- solution?
TRUMP: Go ahead. What?
[18:30:11]
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, can you give us a sense of what you're doing to try to deescalate the situation between Iran and Israel?
TRUMP: Well, I hope there's going to be a deal. I think it's time for a deal, and we'll see what happens. But sometimes they have to fight it out. But we're going to see what happens. I think there's a good chance there'll be a deal.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Netanyahu going after (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: So the protesters, if we didn't have the National Guard on call and ready, they would rip Los Angeles apart. They come and they check and they say, is the National Guard going to be there? And if the National Guard is being there, they don't even show up.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, have you asked Israel to pause their airstrikes into Iran?
TRUMP: Well, I don't want to say that.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, do you expect to have some trade deals announced at the G7 summit coming up?
TRUMP: Look, we have our trade deals. All we have to do is send a letter. This is what you're going to have to pay. But I think we'll have a few new trade deals. Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, (INAUDIBLE) support the defense of Israel? Will the U.S. continue to support Israel in its defense?
TRUMP: We do. Yes. Thank you very much, everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: And again, that was just moments ago. President Trump departing the White House, headed to the G7 Summit in Canada. I want to bring in our political panel. We've got CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and Republican strategist and former White House spokesperson for President George W. Bush, Pete Seat.
Good to have both of you here.
Pete, first up with you, we just kind of digesting the few comments we got there from the president. It was interesting to hear him on Israel and Iran, that he thinks it's time for a deal. He said sometimes they have to fight it out, but he thinks that there will be a deal. It has been interesting to see the Republican Party, which previously was so staunchly in support of Israel and would certainly, I think, want to be there both offensively and defensively, there is this split within the MAGA base of whether or not to get involved in international conflicts. What do you think about all of those pieces together? PETE SEAT, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN, PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I
got to say, Happy Father's Day, Dad, first off. When it comes to Israel --
DEAN: You're a good son.
SEAT: I know, I am, I keep telling him that. But when it comes to Iran and Israel, the president, I think, is handling this the right way. We are the United States of America and global stability depends on our leadership. And one way you can guarantee a World War III breaking out is if Iran has nuclear weapons. So we absolutely do need some type of deal with them to ensure that they do not possess nuclear weapons.
They've got the technology but they don't yet that we know of have the weaponry. And with the elements of the MAGA base, the reality is they're isolationist. They think it's strength, but it's actually the antithesis of strength. And they feel that way because they've never sat in the situation room or read an intelligence briefing. The president has. Previous presidents have. And you see this happen to both Republicans and Democrats.
They talk one way on the campaign trail. Then they become the nominee. They start to get those intelligence briefings, and the world rests on their shoulders and they can feel it then. And I think Donald Trump can feel it.
DEAN: And, Maria, what do you think about that particular situation?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think that Donald Trump is going to the G7 in a very weak position. Let's remember what he said during the campaign trail. He said that he was going to bring a resolution to the Israel-Gaza war on day one. He said that he was going to fix the Russia-Ukraine war on day one. He has done neither. He has not brought the hostages home. And Pete is right. We do need to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
And guess what would have been a great idea in terms of doing that? Not having withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, which Donald Trump did in 2018. So I think that he goes to this summit very weak. He does not look strong. He has not delivered peace through strength. And I do think he has a problem with his MAGA base because he promises MAGA base he would not get into any wars.
The world is more on fire today than it was the day that he came into office. He talks about all of these deals with all of these countries for tariffs. We haven't seen any of the ones that he has promised would come to fruition. He promised to lower costs to fix inflation and the economy. And economists are saying that there is more probability that costs are going to continue to rise.
So there's a huge challenge ahead on the foreign policy front. And I don't think that's a good look for him going into the G7 Summit.
[18:35:06]
DEAN: Speaking of the G7, the other thing he did mention and was asked about were trade deals and tariffs. That as I was speaking to one of our analysts in an earlier hour, they were saying that's kind of the third piece of what he expects from Ukraine, Russia to be discussed, obviously, Iran, Israel.
But, Pete, also tariffs and trying to sort through that. What kind of moves do you expect to see from him this week on that if any?
SEAT: Well, I think you might see some one-on-one, bilateral conversations take place at the G7. But honestly I think tariffs are going to take a back seat knowing what's happening and watching what's happening in Israel and Iran. It is a very different situation and a very different backdrop than what was expected, even 72 to 96 hours ago. But I do just want to say that the economists and financial experts that Maria is citing there, their predictions are about as reliable as those meteorologists that President Trump mentioned earlier.
All the dire warnings about what tariffs would do to the economy have yet to come to fruition. They just keep screaming and singing doom and gloom, and we are not seeing it.
DEAN: Maria, what do you say to that?
CARDONA: I would say except for Pete. Talk to all of the business owners who we have had on CNN plenty of them saying I cannot make ends meet. I might lose my business in the next couple of weeks because costs are going up for me and I cannot meet those costs, and I'm not going to pass them on to my consumers. So I'm sorry, but you are wrong on that, which is why you are seeing the polls for this president do not look good.
He is underwater on everything now, including the economy. And by the way, including immigration. The two key issues that he got elected on. So he has a lot of work to do domestically. He has not done anything for the American people that he promised he would do. He's got a ton of work to do on the foreign policy front. Israel is ignoring him. Who can understand why Israel went after Iran even after Donald Trump tried to get his BFF Netanyahu to not do it.
He has no credibility on the international stage and in the global arena. And I think he has done the world a whole lot of bad. And he has made Americans less safe.
DEAN: OK, we've got to leave it there because we've got to get in a quick break. But Pete and Maria, our thanks to both of you on a Sunday afternoon, we really appreciate it.
CARDONA: Thank you, Jessica.
SEAT: Thank you.
DEAN: Thank you.
We are waiting for Minnesota authorities to share the latest on their search for the man accused of assassinating a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, and shooting another lawmaker and his wife. We're going to bring you that news conference as soon as it begins. We'll take a break and be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:17]
DEAN: And we are going now to Minnesota with officials updating us. Let's take a listen.
BOB JACOBSON, COMMISSIONER, MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: They're taking away including today on Father's Day as they're trying to again get to a successful conclusion. I also want to thank the public for listening to what we're putting out there for information, assisting us in any way that they can, and locating our suspect. We appreciate that very much. And their help is always, of course, appreciated.
Today we'll have some speakers to present some information and updates on what's going on with our investigation. So as we get through our speakers after we're all done, there will be an opportunity to get ask some questions. So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Mayor Ryan Sabas. Mayor.
MAYOR RYAN SABAS, CHAMPLIN, MINNESOTA: Thank you. And thank you all for coming. It's in moments like this that we search for answers to something that defies understanding, a senseless and tragic act that has shaken us all. But in our darkest hours, we're reminded of the strength and resilience of community. We come together not only to grieve, but to stand strong. And together we will rise.
The heinous act should never have happened. Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman and Senator John Hoffman are not just public servants. They are remarkable individuals who have devoted their lives to serving others. Every person deserves to feel safe in their home, including those that are elected to lead us.
We have the full confidence in our justice system and the professionals (INAUDIBLE) senseless and tragic act that has shaken us all. But in our darkest hours we're reminded of the strength and resilience of community. We come together not only to grieve, but to stand strong. And together we will rise.
The heinous act should never have happened. Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman and Senator John Hoffman are not just public servants. They are remarkable individuals who have devoted their lives to serving others. Every person deserves to feel safe in their home, including those that are elected to lead us.
We have the full confidence in our justice system and the professionals working tirelessly to bring individuals responsible to justice. The Champlin Police Department, the Brooklyn Park Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and the FBI all working closely in coordination on this ongoing and active investigation.
We are anxiously awaiting news of justice, and we will not rest until that happens. If you have any information, please contact the tip line at BCA.TIPS@State.MN.US or call 877-996-6222, or your local police department. Your voice could make the difference.
Now more than ever, we must truly focus on what matters. Beneath all of our differences, political, personal or otherwise, we are all human beings, and every human life has a value. Let us move forward with compassion, unity, and a fierce resolve for care for one another.
While this tragedy has deeply impacted our cities, the people of Champlin, Brooklyn Park and the greater Minnesota community are strong. We support those who are grieving. We honor those that we have lost, and we stand beside those that are still fighting.
Champlin, Brooklyn Park, surrounding areas, stay strong. Show love. Show respect. Be kind and never forget the strength that we hold when we stand together.
Thank you. And with that, I'll turn it over to Mayor Winston. Thank you.
MAYOR HOLLIES J. WINSTON, BROOKLYN PARK, MINNESOTA: Hi. So, Mayor Winston of the city of Brooklyn Park. As I've said before, prayers and support go out to the families of the Hoffmans and the Hortmans. I know that our cities, Champlin Park, I mean, Champlin, excuse me, and Brooklyn Park are going through a fair amount of grief, but in reality, there's no distance between Brooklyn Park and Champlin Park in terms of supporting the families.
Because of this, we know that Speaker Hortman, beyond her legislative impact, has had such an impact on unifying our communities and bringing them together. And even on a personal level, she's been dedicated to helping youth when nobody was looking.
And when we look at Senator Hoffman earlier today, I was at a vigil, prayer vigil for him, and we were talking about how are we going to support the family and come together when we realized that the number of families that we're going to have to reach out to and the communities we're going to have to reach out to, to bring everyone together.
[18:45:13]
He's just had such an outsized impact. It's going to be a fair amount of work to properly support and honor him. Because of that, we're really supporting law enforcement in this, and we want to thank law enforcement for the pursuit of justice. So we're talking about Governor Walz and Commissioner Jacobson and their resources they made available immediately to our resources at the federal level the support that we're getting there, county, regional, local, and of course, Brooklyn Park.
I think the work that was done there saved a number of lives. And again, they're committed to justice. And to assist them, we're asking, I think it was said earlier, we asked folks if they have information, please reach out to a tip line. And also, please, if you're looking for information, track -- track real points of information, directly contact or look at information from law enforcement sources. Avoid not sharing or sharing misinformation and then also, let's
realize it's a time for calming words and influence. We are one community, so we very much need to come together on this and support one another. Again, there is some healing that needs to be done here and we really want to support the families. Again, prayers go out to the families of the Hortmans and the Hoffmans.
So thank you, everybody, for your support and thank you for your support, not just for within Brooklyn Park or Champlin, but also thank you for support from across the country and through greater Minnesota.
DREW EVANS, BUREAU OF CRIMINAL APPREHENSION: All right. Thank you, Mayor. And mayors and commissioner and for everybody, I am Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. I want to provide you a little bit of an update on what we've been working on today and where we are continuing to go.
Law enforcement continues to work in partnership to locate and take into custody Vance Boelter in relation to these murders and attempted murders. There is a nationwide warrant for his arrest for the murders and attempted murders in this case at the state level. And there is also then a federal warrant for the same crime or for him as well, for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. That's through the coordination that's been done with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office and the United States Attorney's Office for that.
And so he is wanted on those across the United States. He is not in custody at this time. This remains a very active investigation. We continue to conduct interviews on the investigative piece, not only to learn his whereabouts, but also to follow up on the case and gather the information as part of these prosecution, as the prosecution related to him.
As you may have noted today, and I know you've been around and the sheriff provided some updates, there is information that led us to do the searches that continue in Sibley County, in that area. Those teams will continue to be active until they feel that they have done a thorough and complete search in that area for him. I want to reiterate for everybody, if you know anything about his whereabouts or if you spot anything suspicious or may have been suspicious in the last 24 hours, anywhere but certainly down in that area to please contact law enforcement, either your local law enforcement and through our tip line.
I also want to remind everybody that there's a $50,000 reward offered by the FBI in this particular case. That reward is leading to the capture of him related to this. And that is offered by the FBI. The teams that continue to work on this is over 100 law enforcement officers and numerous SWAT teams that are in that area searching for him. The BCA is working in partnership in this investigation with the Brooklyn Park Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, FBI, ATF, United States Marshal Service, Sibley County Sheriff's Office, and the numerous other agencies such as the state patrol and other sheriff's offices from across the state of Minnesota and local law enforcement. This is of the utmost priority, and that is why you're seeing teams
from the Twin Cities down in Sibley trying to apprehend him as quickly as possible. We did locate in that area that led us a vehicle that we had interest in related to him yesterday that we were searching for, and it was located in Sibley County earlier, very early today. Also, I know it's been reported a hat that we believe he's wearing was found in proximity to that vehicle, which is what has led us to believing he was in that area.
As we go forward on this, as we see what we would ask the public to do is continue to remain vigilant and anything that you see is suspicious to please report this to us.
[18:50:06]
You know, for him it is important now at this point that he's wanted for these to come into custody. We want that to be done safely, both for him and for the public, so that we can move forward with this process and also for the entire state of Minnesota. As we noted, our law enforcement continue to work very diligently and hard, and we know everybody wants answers. And what I'd ask for everybody today, I know it's been a long day without updates, but that's because it's been a been a very fluid day.
There's been a number of different things that have been followed up on throughout the day, and we'll continue to. As noted, we have taken in over 400 tips into our tip line already, and I would encourage people to continue to provide those so that our investigators can sift through those for clues and information that will lead us to him and to uncover exactly what's happening.
Lastly, I would just remind everybody and that, you know, we have families that continue to grieve, that are going through this process and that it's very difficult for them. We've been in contact with families related to this, trying to provide some answers. And while everybody wants an easy answer, I would encourage everybody online and in our communities to not speculate on what occurred and what the motivation was for this.
We often want easy answers for complex problems, and this is a complex situation that our investigators are going to need time to sift through the information and evidence, and those answers will come as we complete the full picture of our investigation, and we will continue to provide that information as we are able.
And with that, I'd be happy to answer some questions at this time. And I just remind everybody that it's a very active investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So can you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Introduce yourself and your media organization.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) part from the local agency where you were talking about the active investigation (INAUDIBLE), did you find anything in that car? Our reporters noticed that there was something being grabbed underneath a blanket. Can you share any information?
EVANS: So the question was, did we find anything in that car? We did find items of evidence in that car that are relevant to this investigation. We can't go into the details of that, but there were items recovered for that car that are relevant. That will be part of our investigation that provide additional answers, and that lead us to believe additionally, beyond looking for it, that he was associated with that vehicle.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Adrian Rogers from NBC News Network. Do you believe the suspect is trying to leave the country? And if so, do you have any evidence leading toward Canada?
EVANS: So the question is, do we believe that he is trying to leave the country or headed towards Canada? You know, there's a large law enforcement presence down in Sibley County, but we don't have him in custody, so we don't have evidence that he's intending a particular destination. But all options are open to the investigative team, and they're exploring that right now.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you believe he's on foot?
EVANS: The question is, do we believe he's on foot? We believe in terms of there's -- we have not concluded exactly how he is getting around the area at this time. It could be multiple ways that he has traveled and that's open. And that's why you see in that area very large perimeter, because they're looking at various modes of transportation from there.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thanks. Brittney Sheppard, ABC News. Do you believe the suspect is still alive? And can you tell us more about the traffic stop involved in Dwight van Dyke Parks?
EVANS: The question is, can you -- do we believe he's still alive? We're certainly operating as though he's still alive and believe he is at this time and will continue on as is. And the question about his wife and traffic stop, I think everybody would know that, you know, any time an individual is identified as a suspect in an investigation, we're going to talk to their family members and do that.
So we met with his family, not just his wife, but other family members, to really understand what's going on. And that's part of that. And that will help us complete the investigation. And so that was part of what we're doing. Jake.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Jake Bowles, Channel Five News. Drew, on that point, are they are in custody at all, or were they just questioning then released? And also, do you have any evidence that he might have stopped at another lawmaker's house before he got (INAUDIBLE)?
EVANS: And so the questions were, are they in custody? The answer is no. And then as far as the others, you know, we've mentioned we can't get into the specifics of the investigation. What we believe that there certainly were other individuals that were identified as part of this information with him and the terms of what exactly he had done we are still continuing to build out that full picture as to what his whereabouts were. But we certainly are getting there. And there were other individuals that, you know, might have been contacted or targeted. Yes. Paul.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: One of my colleagues spoke with people in Sibley County who were told that the suspect may have been getting around on a bicycle or a bike. Can you speak to that at all?
EVANS: Yes. So the question was, is the individual getting around on a bike or bicycle?
[18:55:02]
I think that, as noted previously, there might be multiple modes of transportation for the individual, and we can't get into the details and specifics that might thwart our ability to locate the individual.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: FOX Nine. Just about assistance. Do we believe at this point he's getting any assistance? Any evidence to (INAUDIBLE). And then just to elaborate a little bit more on that traffic stop, because there have been leads that cash is in the wife's car. Passports, weaponry. It sounds, you know, intriguing. Can you elaborate a little bit more on what was found there and why? If so, they were able to be released?
EVANS: Yes, the question was, why were they -- about the traffic stop and what were -- can you repeat the first part of your question?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Just, is there any hard evidence that he's getting assistance.
EVANS: Yes. Thank you. So the question was, is there assistance and the items. And I can't discuss the details of what was inside of the vehicle at that time. It's part of our active criminal investigation and we're working on that. Why were they allowed to be released? They were cooperative. We're working through that process. We certainly always analyze evidence, but they were very cooperative with us and provided us the information we needed and the information related to that.
If the question about, do we believe he's receiving any assistance, all options are on the table. We haven't seen specific individuals doing that, but we don't know that specifically. Now, he's certainly been in contact with individuals. Whether or not they're providing active assistance I can't provide that.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) Have you found any indication of prior threats online activity? Any communication besides the manifesto? And if you wouldn't mind sharing some details of the manifesto, that might help people find him.
EVANS: Yes. Thank you for the question. It was about details on what's been referred to as manifesto and then are there online information or others or threats indicating. So far we have not located any prior threats with this individual towards anybody on that. That will obviously be part a deeper dive to really understand the motivation of this individual and whether or not that is on there and connections related to threats, whether they might be here or in different parts of the United States.
In terms of what's been referred to manifesto, I want to clarify for everybody. And just for this, this is not a document because I think it's important for the public to understand that would be like a traditional manifesto that's a treatise on all kinds of ideology and writings. This is a notebook with a lot of that's been reported of lawmakers and others that are listed in here. And then much more other thoughts that are throughout this, as opposed to very succinct document that's providing long and it's mixed in with other documents.
So that's where this is coming from. I don't want the public to have the impression that there's this long manifesto that's providing all of this information and details and then associated with names. It's much more about names and then others. And we will work through. And beyond that I cannot provide details because it's part of the active criminal investigation.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I have a question. Is the shelter in place even related to this investigation?
EVANS: I am not familiar with that. I'd have to ask you to go to Eagan. The question was the shelter in place in Eagan and I am not tracking a shelter in place Eagan right now. Was it earlier today or is it right now?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE).
EVANS: I would ask that you -- I am not, we've been in here for a few minutes, but I -- so I don't know if there's anything related to ours, but I'd have to ask you to talk to Eagan Police Department.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: More about the federal role.
EVANS: Yes, I can just on that. So the federal role on -- yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: If you could speak more about the federal role of all of this.
EVANS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is there still an ongoing threat to current lawmakers?
EVANS: So the -- what I would tell you in terms of the questions were ongoing threat to public lawmakers, is there one. Certainly the safety of our lawmakers and public services is utmost concern to all of us. Certainly as to the security apparatus at the capitol that provide that for them. Our Minnesota State Patrol as well. And so we continue to evaluate that. I will say that we have no indication that the individual that is wanted here did anything other than conduct these acts by himself, but that doesn't mean we aren't exploring more fully if there's any other threats that might be there. We will continue to evaluate that and work together with them. In terms of the role, the federal government, they've been extremely
great partners to all of us, the FBI and ATF, the United States Marshal Service, among others, from the federal government, are providing both investigative assistance on this case and then participating in the manhunt for the individual to locate him and take him into custody safely. That is not uncommon in a large case like this.
And the United States Attorney's Office has been in contact with us, and they certainly will be exploring if there are federal charges that would be connected to this sort of violence that was conducted on our lawmakers.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Who is taking the lead in this? Still in Minnesota?
EVANS: Yes. So this is a partnership right now.
