Police body-camera footage of the arrest of Minnesota state Senator Nicole Mitchell, recorded when she was suspected of breaking into her stepmother’s residence, was shown during her trial on Wednesday, as reported.

Mitchell has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools related to the alleged break-in that occurred on April 22, 2024, at approximately 4:45 a.m.

A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party who was elected in 2022, Mitchell stated that she visited her stepmother Carol Mitchell’s home in Detroit Lakes—where Carol, she mentioned, suffers from Alzheimer’s—to retrieve some belongings of her deceased father.

On Wednesday, after the presentation of police bodycam footage featuring the responding officers, the prosecution concluded its case.

“She’s my stepdaughter,” Carol Mitchell informs a responding officer. “She’s also a Minnesota senator.”

“She’s a senator?” inquired an officer.

“Yes, well was,” Carol replied to the officer before he questioned whether she is currently in office.

“Well, she is. I meant after this…” Carol clarified, alluding to the ongoing arrest.

The bodycam footage depicts Mitchell handcuffed inside a police vehicle being interrogated. She told an officer that she was “just trying to get some of my dad’s things” and added, “clearly, I’m not good at this.”

As per the criminal complaint, Senator Mitchell informed officers that her father had recently passed away and that her stepmother was unwilling to return sentimental items—his ashes, photographs, clothing, and other mementos.

Police discovered her in the basement dressed in all black, holding a flashlight concealed in a black sock. They also retrieved a black backpack lodged in a window, which contained two laptops, a cellphone, her driver’s license, Senate ID, and various Tupperware items.

In the body-cam footage, Mitchell is observed lying face-down on the floor as officers secure her in handcuffs.

“I was just trying to get some of my dad’s things because she wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” she stated.

Prosecutors contended that Nicole Mitchell deliberately parked a short distance away as part of a premeditated scheme, whereas her defense argued that she was merely a concerned stepdaughter attempting to assist a family member.

During her testimony, Carol Mitchell expressed that she felt “extremely violated” by the purported break-in.

Last month, two Minnesota Democrats and their spouses were shot by an individual allegedly posing as a police officer.

State Senator John Hoffman was shot in Champlin, while State House Speaker Melissa Hortman was shot in Brooklyn Park.

Both legislators were attacked in their residences, along with their spouses. Hoffman and his partner survived, but Hortman, a former state House Speaker, and her spouse tragically succumbed to their injuries.

“Our state lost a great leader,” Governor Tim Walz stated at a press conference following the shootings. “Speaker Hortman was an individual who served the people of Minnesota with dignity, empathy, humor, and a commitment to service.”

“This incident constituted an act of targeted political violence,” Walz further remarked. “Civil discourse is the cornerstone of our democracy. We do not resolve our differences through violence or at gunpoint in the state of Minnesota.”

Law enforcement ultimately apprehended Vance Boelter and charged him with the shootings and murders.

Joseph Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, disclosed that Boelter engaged in a shootout with police at the residence of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman before forcibly entering and killing her.

“Prior to his entry into the home, two Brooklyn Park police officers arrived at the location. They had been dispatched… Upon their arrival, they observed Boelter’s black SUV parked in the driveway with its emergency lights activated,” Thompson explained.

“However, the specifics of Boelter’s crime are even more disturbing; they are genuinely chilling,” he continued. “It is no exaggeration to assert that his offenses are the stuff of nightmares. They witnessed Boelter standing in front of the house several feet from the door. When Boelter noticed the officers exiting their vehicle, he drew his weapon.