In the early hours of the morning, someone wearing body armor and likely impersonating a police officer called on the homes of Democratic state Senator John Hoffman and Democratic House Leader Melissa Hortman, and shot both of them along with at least one other person. It sounds like the perpetrator was a little more purposeful than the usual random nut.
So far not much information is available. The condition of those who were shot has not been disclosed. As far as I know, the perpetrator has not yet been identified or captured. There is a press conference scheduled for a few minutes ago, that has not yet begun. Will update as appropriate.
UPDATE: Tim Walz led off the press conference. Melissa Hortman was shot fatally. John Hoffman and his wife were both shot multiple times and are in surgery. The perpetrator exchanged gunfire with officers at or near Hortman’s home, but he escaped. It sounds like law enforcement officers believe they know the identity of the murderer.
Police officers checked proactively on Hortman’s home after the Hoffman shooting. They arrived just as the perpetrator was leaving the front door of the Hortman home. The murderer immediately started shooting at the officers and fled back into the house. He escaped on foot. The officers found bodies of both Melissa Hortman and, I assume, her husband.
The perpetrator drove a car that looked like an unmarked squad car (lights, etc.) and was dressed like a police officer, including a taser and a badge. He escaped on foot and presumably hasn’t gotten very far. A massive manhunt is now underway. The perpetrator left a “manifesto” in his vehicle. It indicated that more victims were to be targeted.
More to come.
FURTHER UPDATE: Officials have not identified the suspect, but it is being reported that he is “Dr.” Vance Luther Boelter. I think he has the same degree that Jill Biden does:
BREAKING: I'm told by a police source in Minnesota the suspect in the shootings of MN state lawmakers is Vance Luther Boelter.
It appears it is the same Boelter who was appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board in 2019 by Gov. Tim Walz. He appointed to the… pic.twitter.com/r1wjWXs2lA
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) June 14, 2025
Boelter was appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board (as a “Business Member”) by Governor Walz, and before that by Governor Mark Dayton, also a Democrat.
Boelter’s LinkedIn page suggests that he has a background in security, and is the CEO of the Red Lions Group, a security firm. Some on Twitter are claiming he is a “white Christian nationalist,” based on Facebook “likes.”
The Minnesota State Patrol tweeted this photo of a stack of “No Kings” signs that were left behind in the perpetrator’s vehicle:
Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today’s planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution. pic.twitter.com/7hFccnrQUT
— MN State Patrol (@MnDPS_MSP) June 14, 2025
So, take your pick. It should be emphasized that Boelter has not officially been named as the suspect, although it is clear the authorities believe they know who the murderer is. Also, there are unconfirmed reports that the police are looking for more than one perpetrator.
Stay tuned.
MORE: Authorities have confirmed that Vance Boulter is the suspect. He reportedly has been seen since the shootings, but at present is still at large.
STILL MORE: There are photos taken at the Hortman home, I assume by a Ring camera or something similar, that show Boelter approaching the front door and ringing the doorbell. He is dressed as a police officer and said to be wearing a latex mask.
Meanwhile, this source has been talking to Boelter’s roommates. It all sounds strange; Boelter has, or had, a wife, but lived at least some of the time with male roommates:
He “didn’t express a lot of strong political views, but held strong views on abortion.” I suppose Boelter’s “manifesto” will explain his own twisted account of his actions.
ONE MORE, FOR NOW: Boelter has an exceptionally strange history. He apparently has been an evangelical preacher in Congo, claims considerable experience in security including in foreign countries, owns a home and multiple other properties but lives much of the time in an apartment with a roommate who also seems odd. He has (or had) a wife, to whom I have seen virtually no references. He has five children, reportedly including daughters named Faith, Hope, Grace and Charity. While having a colorful background and somehow having gotten himself appointed to a relatively significant state government commission by Tim Walz, his actual job appears to have been managing a 7-11. (By the way, another member of that Workforce Development commission is Senator John Hoffman, one of Boelter’s victims.) And somehow he has eluded capture, with every law enforcement officer in Minnesota looking for him. No doubt we will learn more about Boelter in days to come, but the story, whatever it turns out to be, is guaranteed to be bizarre.
One last thing–I have seen reports that Boelter is a registered Republican, but Minnesota does not have partisan registration.
