Authorities are on the lookout for 57-year-old Vance Boelter, identified by law enforcement as the suspect in the attempted murder and assassination of Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses.
The Incident
The suspect who impersonated a police officer came to State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband’s home on Saturday morning, striking the couple before escaping. Authorities spotted what appeared to be a police car with emergency flashing lights in the driveway of the Hortmans’ home.
Authorities declared Rep. Hortman dead at the scene, while her husband passed away at North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, MN. The couple is survived by their two children.
Democratic State Sen. John Hoffman, who serves as a state representative, represents District 34 (serving the Twin Cities’ Anoka and Hennepin County), and his wife, Yvette, were shot by the same individual within a 5- to 10-mile radius of the Hortmans’ residence, according to CBS News. The couple survived the attack. In a press conference, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stated that political motives appeared to be behind the shooting.
Hoffman’s Political Career
L-R: Minnesota State Senator, John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette Hoffman; Photo Credit: INSTAGRAM/John Hoffman; and Image of State Rep, John Hoffman Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) Champlin; Photo Credit: Senate Media Services
Hoffman, who has been in the state senate since 2012, served as a member of the Anoka-Hennepin School District Board in 2005. He also served on various boards in the states of Iowa and Minnesota to advocate for children, families, the workforce, maternal and children’s health, children with disabilities, and education, according to his biography.
Hortman’s Political Career
Hortman was the state’s speaker for the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 up until her death. Horrman, who was also an attorney, has been in politics since 2005 as a house representative for District 47B (2005–2013), District 36B (2013–2023), and District 34B (2023–2025).
Image of former Minnesota State Representative and House Speaker, Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated early Saturday morning on June 14, 2025; Photo Credit: Abbie Parr/The AP
She was a 1991 graduate from Boston University, majoring in philosophy and political science. She advanced her education at the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995 and at Harvard University in 2018 with a degree in public administration.
Who is Vance Boelter?
Boelter has a background in security services (including security services in Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East) and received training from private security firms and with US military personnel, according to PGuard.net
According to LinkedIn, he has a supervisory background in the food service industry and works as the CEO of Red Lion Group in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Boelter was an evangelical Christian who traveled to Africa to deliver sermons in which he directly questioned American morals regarding sexual orientation, as noted in a video clip on Facebook reviewed by the Exclusive Press.
In 2016, Boelter was appointed by former Gov. Mark Dayton as a private sector representative to the Minnesota Governor’s Workforce Development Council, serving until 2019, according to CBS.
In 2019, Governor Walz appointed Boelter to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, a board consisting of leaders from business, education, labor, community-based organizations, and government, who advise the state government on policy recommendations under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
Authorities discovered a list of nearly 70 names in Boelter’s vehicle, which primarily included Democrats or individuals associated with abortion rights, as reported by CNN.
Anyone with tips can reach out to 1-877-996-6222 and/or bca.tips@state.mn.us
