Minnesota Lawmaker Shooting Suspect Identified as 57-Year-Old Vance Boelter

Authorities have identified a man they believe is connected to the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers this weekend.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was identified as the suspect by officials during a press conference on Saturday afternoon, June 14.

They asked for the public’s assistance in helping locate the suspect, whom they said was last seen “wearing a light-colored cowboy hat with a dark-colored long-sleeve collared shirt or coat, light pants and carrying a dark bag.”

Officials also urged the public to call 911 should they encounter the suspect and not approach him, as he is considered “armed and dangerous.”

The latest update arrives hours after state Rep. Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband, Mark, were killed in an attack on the morning of Saturday, June 14, officials shared in a press conference. Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman, 60, and his wife, Yvette, both survived a separate shooting.

Brooklyn Park Police Department Chief Mark Bruley announced on Saturday around 10 a.m. local time that a suspect, who was “absolutely impersonating a police officer” ahead of the shootings, fled the scene “on foot” and that a “manifesto” was discovered in a vehicle.

Boelter is a father and husband who has previously worked full-time for Nestle, Del Monte, Tesoro, Marathon Speedway, and 7-Eleven, according to his bio on the Minnesota Africans United website.

Per his description, the reported suspect is also the CEO of Praetorian Guard Security Services, which is based in Minnesota. He has been “involved with security situations” in multiple countries, according to the security company’s website, which lists him as “director of security controls.”

The company website notes his “many on the ground experiences combined with training by both private security firms and by people in the U.S. Military.”

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Boelter has also been the CEO of Red Lion Group — based in the Democratic Republic of Congo — since 2021, according to his apparent LinkedIn profile.

He was previously named by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board as the “Business & Industry Representative,” according to a news release on the state’s website. His four-year term spanned 2019 to 2023.

Boelter was initially appointed to the same board under former Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton in 2016 to serve until 2018.

The reported identification of the suspect comes shortly after police revealed during a news conference that they found a “manifesto” featuring a “list of names” inside a vehicle, following what Walz described as a “politically motivated assassination.”

Bruley of the BPPD announced at the time that authorities discovered “the suspect’s car,” as a “large-scale search” was ongoing. The suspect was believed to have been driving a vehicle that “looked exactly like an SUV squad car” with emergency lights. CNN reported that the manifesto discovered inside contained almost 70 names including abortion providers, pro-abortion rights advocates, and lawmakers in multiple states.

Per KARE 11, the suspect was previously described as a White male with brown hair, who was wearing a blue shirt, blue pants and black body armor. During Saturday’s press conference, Bruley instructed locals on how to respond if approached by a single police officer at their homes.

“We’re also reminding them that, if somebody comes to the door and they knock on the door claiming to be a police officer, please do a couple things,” he said. “One, call 911 and confirm that the officer belongs there. If they are a police officer, dispatch will be able to confirm that that person’s a police officer.”

“Also, we have informed all our officers in Brooklyn Park that they are not to approach anybody by themselves. They’ll approach in pairs, meaning two officers. So if there’s only one officer outside the door, do not answer the door and call 911.”