Authorities have identified the suspect in a pair of targeted shootings of lawmakers and their spouses that rocked Minnesota early Saturday as 57-year-old Vance Boelter.
Boelter is accused of killing former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat of Brooklyn Park, and her husband, and seriously wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman of Champlin and his wife in separate, targeted home invasions early June 14.
“Do not attempt to approach him. You should consider him armed and dangerous,” Evans said.
“This was somebody that clearly had been impersonating a police officer, again, using the trust of the badge and this uniform to manipulate their way into the home,” Bruley said, adding that the suspect fled out of the back of the house, abandoning the vehicle at the scene.
A search of the suspect’s vehicle—an SUV—uncovered a manifesto and hit list. “When we did a search of the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials,” Bruley said. “We immediately made alerts to the state. We took action on alerting them and providing security where necessary.”
Speaking at the same earlier briefing as the police chief, Gov. Tim Walz called the deaths of Hortman and her husband, Mark, “an unspeakable tragedy,” while describing the incident as a “politically motivated assassination.”
The governor added that Hoffman and his wife had undergone surgery after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. “We are cautiously optimistic that they will survive this assassination attempt,” he said, reiterating that authorities were treating the shootings as “targeted political violence.”
What’s Known About the Suspect?
Public records show that Boelter was appointed by Gov. Walz in 2019 to a four-year term on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board. He had previously served under then-Gov. Mark Dayton in 2016 as a member of the state’s Workforce Development Council.
The bio also stated that he worked for “the largest U.S. oil refining company, the world’s largest food company based in Switzerland, and the world’s largest convenience retailer based in Japan.”
An email inquiry sent to Praetorian Guard Security Services seeking confirmation of Boelter’s affiliation and details about his claimed international security experience was not immediately returned.
Boelter’s ties to the security firm may help explain how he allegedly acquired a vehicle outfitted to resemble a police squad car, along with other law enforcement-style equipment.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Boelter also has a background in the food industry, with past roles at Johnsonville Sausage, Del Monte, Greencore, and 7-Eleven. His most recent post on the platform suggested he was seeking a return to the sector.
Lawmakers Targeted
Hoffman, one of the shooting victims, is a Democrat first elected in 2012. He runs a consulting firm called Hoffman Strategic Advisors. Hoffman, who is married and has one daughter, previously served as vice chair of the Anoka-Hennepin School Board, Minnesota’s largest school district.
Hortman, the top Democratic leader in the Minnesota House and a former speaker, was first elected in 2004. A lawyer by training, she was married with two children.
Both lawmakers represent districts in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis.
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” he wrote. “God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”
