Call It What It Is-This Was Domestic Terrorism

We are devastated by the targeted shootings of Minnesota legislators Rep. Melissa Hortman and Sen. John Hoffman and their spouses. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and the communities reeling from this senseless act of political violence.

Let’s be clear: This was not a random crime. It was a calculated assault on democracy by a man impersonating a police officer, using state symbols and authority to gain access and inflict harm.

It must be called what it is: an act of domestic terrorism.

Under federal law, domestic terrorism includes acts that:

• Are dangerous to human life and violate criminal law;
• Are intended to intimidate or coerce civilians or influence the policy or conduct of government;
• Occur primarily within the United States.

Vance Boelter’s actions meet all of these criteria. He impersonated law enforcement, targeted sitting lawmakers in their homes, assassinated an elected official and her spouse, shot and almost killed another elected official and his spouse, and attempted to assassinate other public Officials.

Boelter is now facing:

• -Federal charges, including multiple counts of murder, stalking, and firearms violations for targeting U.S. officials and their families. The Department of Justice has not ruled out the death Penalty.
• State charges of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, with Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty seeking a grand jury indictment for first-degree murder.

Despite murdering two people and attempting to assassinate more, Boelter was apprehended alive and unharmed. And he’s not the first. Dylann Roof, who slaughtered nine Black worshipers at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, was peacefully arrested and fed Burger King by officers. Robert Aaron Long, who killed eight people at Atlanta-area spas- including six Asian women- was allowed to surrender without incident. These aren’t exceptions. They’re patterns.

Such cases reflect a disturbing trend in how white male mass murderers are often handled with remarkable restraint, care, and deference by law enforcement, even in the face of unimaginable violence. In contrast, Black men and women- like Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, Amir Locke, and Breonna Taylor- have been killed by police during traffic stops, wellness checks, or while sleeping. This contrast is as devastating as it is revealing.

Notably, Boelter’s wife was also in a vehicle that was pulled over in Onamia, Minnesota over the weekend with large amounts of cash and multiple passports, raising serious questions about whether she was aiding his escape. Yet she, too, was released.

Would a Black woman in the same circumstances have been allowed to walk away?

Law enforcement made other critical mistakes:

• A New Hope officer encountered Boelter mid-rampage, in a fake police SUV, dressed like a police officer. He refused to answer questions. Yet she let him go, no backup, no detainment.
• We still need clarity about what exactly took place outside of Rep. Hortman’s home between Brooklyn Park police and Boelter before Boelter gained entry to the residence and allegedly committed murder inside; as well as whether gunfire was exchanged between Boelter and police and how he managed to escape.
• No statewide emergency alert was issued after the shootings of two state legislators and their spouses. Minnesota has a public alert system through IPAWS that can be used for everything from missing persons to Blue Alerts for officer-related violence.

Why wasn’t it activated here?

Who makes that decision- and why didn’t they act?

We need full transparency around Minnesota’s emergency management protocols. When elected officials are hunted in their homes and no public warning is issued, the system is failing.

We must also hold the media accountable for shaping public perception. Many headlines have focused more on Boelter’s financial struggles and mental health than the lives he destroyed or the broader threat he posed to public safety. This sanitization of white male violence dehumanizes victims and distorts reality.

Two truths can exist at once: Law enforcement worked diligently to find Boelter. And law enforcement made critical mistakes that endangered more lives. We can acknowledge both while demanding better from every system designed to protect the people.

We demand:

• An immediate domestic terrorism designation from federal authorities;
• A full investigation into law enforcement response failures, including the officer who released Boelter in New Hope and the decision to release his wife during the traffic stop in Omania;
• A public explanation of Minnesota’s emergency alert protocols and why they failed to activate;
• An end to media sanitization of white male violence.

When white men can murder civilians, target lawmakers, impersonate police, and still be treated with restraint- while Black people are killed for simply existing- we are looking at two systems of justice, two sets of assumptions, and two visions of public safety.

Because if we cannot call domestic terrorism what it is, we cannot stop it.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, Esq. | Founder, Racial Justice Network