What we know about Vance Boelter, the suspect in the Minnesota lawmaker shootings

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7 hours ago

The man suspected of fatally shooting a Democratic Minnesota state representative and her husband, and wounding another state legislator and his wife, was captured in a Green Isle field Sunday evening after a massive two-day manhunt.
Authorities said Vance Boelter, 57, wore a "hyper realistic" silicone face mask, body armor and a tactical vest to impersonate a law enforcement officer when he carried out the violent rampage early Saturday.
He planned "his attack carefully," acting U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota Joseph Thompson said, and used the internet to research his victims and their families. He conducted surveillance on their homes and took notes on the homes' locations, Thompson said at a news conference Monday.
Boelter also allegedly purchased materials to make a fake "police" license plate for his SUV and equipped the vehicle with law enforcement-style lights before the shootings that killed Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman.
Thompson said it's clear Boelter had been "planning these attacks for quite some time."
He faces both federal and state charges.
In an online video, Boelter described himself as a married father of five from Green Isle, Minnesota. He said he works for two funeral homes and previously worked for three decades in the food industry.
Boelter said in the video that he once traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to partner with farmers and fishermen and help stimulate the country's food supply system.
Boelter has a handful of traffic violations, including speeding and not using a seat belt, records show.
According to a statement, he attended the Christ For The Nations Institute from 1998 to 1990, when he graduated with a diploma in practical theology in leadership and pastoral.
Records show he purchased his Green Isle home for more than half a million dollars in 2023. During a federal court hearing Monday afternoon, Boelter said he now makes $540 a week through his part-time job and could not afford a lawyer. His federal defender declined to comment.
Authorities located his wife and found two handguns, about $10,000 in cash and passports for her and her children in her vehicle, the affidavit says.
After the shootings, he allegedly texted his family: "Dad went to war last night … I don't wanna say more because I don't wanna implicate anybody."
His wife also received a text from him saying, "Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation. … there's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around."
The motive for the attacks remains unclear.
Boelter took "deliberate steps to research his victims and prepare" for his alleged attacks, authorities said in the affidavit.
He is accused of using the internet to find their home addresses and the names of their family members. The affidavit states that he also "made lists containing the names and home addresses of many Minnesota public officials, mostly or all Democrats. "
Authorities said he found websites that sold hyper-realistic silicone masks and he allegedly purchased other materials from a store, including flashlights and resources that could be used to create the fake "police" license plate found on his SUV.
He traveled to the homes of at least four public officials.
"Political assassinations are rare. They strike at the very core of our democracy, but the details of Boelter's crimes are even worse," Thompson told reporters. "They are truly chilling. It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Belter stalked his victims like prey."
Boelter allegedly arrived at the Champlin home of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, in an SUV equipped with law enforcement-style emergency lights, the affidavit states.
Video footage from the home showed Boelter approach the front door "dressed to impersonate a law enforcement officer" in a black tactical vest and carrying a flashlight, according to the affidavit. He was wearing the flesh-colored mask.
While knocking on the door, he repeatedly shouted, "This is the police. Open the door," the affidavit states. The couple answered the door.
Thompson said that Boelter shined the flashlight in their faces, said there had been a shooting reported in the home and asked if they had any weapons. When he lowered the flashlight, they realized he was not a police officer.
"They shouted out, 'You're not a cop. You're not a police officer,'" he said. "Boelter then announced, This is a robbery, and forced himself into their home."
The senator tried to push Boelter backward out the door, at which point Boelter allegedly repeatedly shot the senator, according to the affidavit. He then repeatedly fired at the senator's wife.
Around 2:06 a.m., their daughter called 911.
The Hoffmans were taken to the hospital, where they remain. In a statement released by the family, Yvette Hoffman thanked law enforcement for capturing Boelter.
"John and I are both incredibly lucky to be alive," the statement read. "We continue our healing journey and are humbled by the outpouring of love and support our family has received from across the state and our nation."
After shooting the Hoffmans, Boelter traveled to Maple Grove, about 12 miles from Champlin, to the home of an unnamed public official, authorities said.
The official and her family were not home.
Security footage from the home showed him repeatedly ringing the doorbell around 2:24 a.m. and shouting, "This is the police. Open the door. This is the police. We have a warrant," according to the affidavit.
He was wearing a black tactical vest and what looked like a law enforcement-style badge, it says.
When no one came to the door, he drove the short distance to the New Hope home of another unnamed public official. By this time, local police were aware of the shooting at the Hoffmans' home and dispatched an officer to the home to conduct a safety check, the affidavit states.
The affidavit says the officer encountered a man believed to be Boelter sitting in an SUV parked down the street from the home. The officer believed the SUV was a law enforcement vehicle. The officer tried to speak with the man but he did not respond.
According to the affidavit, the officer drove to the official's home and Boelter left the area.
Local police in Brooklyn Park were also made aware of the shooting at the Hoffmans and went to the home of Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, to conduct a safety check.
According to the affidavit, when police arrived, a black SUV was parked outside the home and Boelter was standing near the front door.
Moments after their arrival, he allegedly fired several shots into the home "as he moved forward, entering the Hortmans' home." A second set of gunshots could be heard from inside the home, it says.
The couple had been shot multiple times and died from their injuries. Their family dog also died.
Boelter fled the home, sparking a manhunt.
In a statement shared Monday evening, the Hortmans' adult children, Sophie and Colin Hortman, said they were safe and with loved ones.
"We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much," they said.
"Our parents touched so many lives, and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them," the statement added.
Five firearms and a large amount of ammunition were found in his SUV, according to a federal criminal affidavit. There were also several notebooks containing the names of more than 45 state and federal public officials.
According to the affidavit, Boelter was connected to a home in north Minneapolis.
A man at the home told authorities he lives there with Boelter, at least part-time. While searching the house, the affidavit says authorities found a handwritten list containing many of the same public officials named in the notebooks. Security footage from the area showed that Boelter returned to the home in the morning after the shootings.
He was arrested Sunday night in a field in Green Isle, about a mile from the family home. Authorities had received a tip earlier in the day that said a person was seen riding an electric bike about 2 miles from the residence.
Investigators said he purchased the bike and a sedan from a witness after the shootings. The sedan was found abandoned on a highway near the family home.
During a search of the vehicle, Boelter allegedly left a note admitting to the crime, the affidavit says.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com