Suspect in fatal shooting may have robbed bank
Published 9:54 am Tuesday, September 2, 2014
BLAINE — Minnesota authorities say a man suspected of fatally shooting his ex-lover last month may have robbed a bank in Blaine over the weekend.
Police have been searching for Lyle “Ty” Hoffman since Aug. 11, when 48-year-old Kelly Phillips was shot to death in a gas station parking lot.
Officers say someone matching Hoffman’s description robbed a TCF Bank branch in Blaine on Sunday about 2 p.m. The suspect made off with an undisclosed amount of money. The suspect and cash may have been stained by an exploding red dye packet.
Authorities scoured the area after the robbery but couldn’t find the man.
Blaine police are being assisted in their search by deputies from Anoka and Ramsey counties, as well as by agents from the FBI and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension