By Jack Phillips
A massive federal and state manhunt for a suspect accused of fatally shooting a Minnesota state lawmaker entered its second day on June 15.
Vance Boelter, 57, allegedly wore a mask and posed as a police officer before he shot and killed former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband, Mark, on June 14 at their home in Brooklyn Park, officials said.
Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their home in Champlin, authorities said. Boelter is also the suspect in that case, officials added.
The FBI, which issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Boelter’s arrest and conviction, released photos of the suspect on the night of June 14 after the shootings occurred.
Officials haven’t released a motive in the case. Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, records show.
Hortman, 55, had been the Democratic leader in the state House since 2017. She led Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year’s session in clash with Republicans. Under a power sharing agreement, she turned the gavel over to Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth and assumed the title of speaker emerita.
After her death, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called her a “formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota.” He also described the shooting as a politically motivated assassination.
On June 15, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) condemned online threats and urged people to think twice before posting accusations or motives on the internet.
“This is a person that did everything for the right reasons. And regardless of political parties, look at her face before you send out your next post,” Klobuchar stated.
In a statement, FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin Winston said that the shooting was a “deliberate and violent act on public servants and their families” and called on the public to provide information about the suspect or the case. The FBI Minneapolis and its main pages on social media platform X had not released any updates on the case as of the afternoon of June 15.
A LinkedIn profile that appears to be associated with Boelter showed that his most recent employment was as the CEO of the Red Lion Group hotel, which he said was based in the Democratic Republican of the Congo.
He and his wife, Jennifer, also apparently run a security service called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC, according to their website. His wife is listed as the chief executive of the firm.
The company website says it offers only armed guard security services, and Boelter wrote that he had been “involved with security situations in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, including the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.”
It also said that he has “ground experiences combined with training by both private security firms and by people in the U.S. Military” and also “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.” Those claims could not be immediately verified by The Epoch Times.
Brooklyn Park Police Department Chief Mark Bruley said in a June 14 news conference that the suspect was “absolutely impersonating a police officer” and left a “manifesto” in a vehicle after the shootings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
