Newly released 911 logs detail law enforcement response to Minnesota lawmaker shootings

Recently released 911 logs provide new insight into how police responded to the assassination of state Rep. Melissa Hortman, including the fact that officers did not recover her body for nearly an hour after the initial shooting at her home.

Documents obtained by WCCO show that Brooklyn Park police first arrived at the Hortman's residence at about 3:35 a.m. on June 14, 2025. They were doing a proactive check on the state lawmaker and her family after Sen. John Hoffman and his family were targeted earlier that morning in a violent shooting that left Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, injured; their daughter, Hope, narrowly avoided physical injury in the attack. 

Officers instantly witnessed someone shoot a man in the doorway of the home. One of the officers fired his gun, and the suspect ran inside. It's two minutes later, 3:37 a.m., that they "rescue" the first shooting victim. This was Mark Hortman, Melissa Hortman's husband, who died from his injuries. 

From there, police evidently proceeded with caution. They weren't sure where the shooter was and did not know how many other people were in the home. The first two officers called for back-up and a drone was deployed to investigate the home. At 4:09 a.m., the drone observes a woman down on the stairwell, according to the 911 log. It's unclear to first responders if she is still breathing. 

By about 4:37 a.m., it's still unclear to law enforcement if anyone else is still inside, including the shooter, but a team enters the property. It's not until 4:40 a.m. that they successfully recover Melissa Hortman's body. 

By about 5 a.m., these documents also reveal that officers had a name; they knew they were looking for Vance Boelter. But that name wasn't released to the public until later that afternoon; he was brought into custody on June 15 after a 43-hour manhunt.  

Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley declined to speak with WCCO-TV on Tuesday, but he called in to WCCO Radio on Monday to discuss the issue at hand. Bruley said that there's important context missing from the 911 logs; the primary variable at play for the officers was that everything went quiet after the initial gunfire at the front door. It meant that there was no clear indication of an active threat to others, Bruley said, given they didn't know about other victims in the house. 

"There's no other information about where anybody is in that house, there's no other shooting, there's no other 'active killing' indication," Bruley said.

He said investigators would later learn that Melissa Hortman was likely struck by the same gunfire that hit her husband. 

"When you actually hear the gunfire, that is very quick; it is not until long after that we're able to piece it together that he essentially shoots Mark into Melissa simultaneously," Bruley said. 

Peter Johnson, a use-of-force expert who trains other members of law enforcement in firearm use, said that officers likely followed protocol here. 

"Because the report does not indicate that officers heard continued gunfire, the situation would not have warranted an 'active shooter' response, which is reserved for situations involving ongoing, observable violence," Johnson said in a statement. "Instead, officers appropriately contained the residence, called for additional personnel, activated SWAT, and worked to develop an operational plan despite having very limited information about the suspect's exact location."