Vance Boelter, Suspect In Minnesota Shootings, Captured After Manhunt

Boelter is suspected of killing state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
By 

News Director, HuffPost

and

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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Vance Boelter, the suspect in the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers at their homes early Saturday morning while dressed like a police officer, was captured by police Sunday, officials said.

Following a two-day search by more than 100 officers, Boelter was apprehended in the woods near his home in Green Isle, Minnesota, after his abandoned vehicle was found in the area and an officer saw someone dart into the trees, police said at a Sunday night press conference.

Boelter has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder.

Officers used drones, helicopters and infrared technology to locate him in the dark, and he “crawled to law enforcement” once officers closed in on him, Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger said. He was armed, but no officers were harmed, officials said.

The search constituted the “largest manhunt in the state’s history,” Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley told reporters.

State Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot early Saturday morning in what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said “appears to be a politically motivated assassination.” Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times at their home, which is about 5 miles from the Hortmans’ residence.

Vance Boelter, the suspect in the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers at their homes, was captured by police on Sunday.
Vance Boelter, the suspect in the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers at their homes, was captured by police on Sunday.
Minnesota State Emergency Operations Center

“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” Walz said in a press conference following Boelter’s arrest.

“You can rest assured that we will put every ounce of effort that the state of Minnesota has to make sure that justice is served,” he added.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson told reporters Monday that Boelter also went to the homes of two other Minnesota state politicians “with the intent to kill them.”

“It’s pretty clear from the evidence that he’s been planning these attacks for quite some time,” Thompson said, adding that Boelter had “many notebooks full of plans, lists of names, surveillance efforts that he took to surveil and locate the home addresses and family members, relationships with these elected officials.”

The suspect approached both homes while wearing a mask and dressed as a law enforcement officer, officials said. When he was approached outside Hortman’s house by law enforcement, he immediately shot at the officers and went back into the home. While there, officers saw the suspect fatally shoot Mark Hortman, according to an Associated Press report.

Officials said they believe he fled on foot through the back of the home.

Authorities said it’s unclear if he knew the victims and have not provided information about a motive. Boelter had previously served on a state workforce development board alongside state Sen. Hoffman, though it was not evident whether the two knew each other. He’d otherwise spent time working in the food industry.

Officials discovered a list with about 70 names of government officials, business leaders and Planned Parenthood centers in the suspect’s vehicle, as well as fliers of the “No Kings” protests that were happening this weekend. Multiple people on the list were Democratic lawmakers, Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) told The New York Times.

Walz said this moment is an opportunity for Americans to “recommit to the core values of this country.”

“This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences,” he said.

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— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href=https://www.huffpost.com/"https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1934459342927036666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\%22>June 16, 2025</a></blockquote>","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Acyn","author_url":"https://twitter.com/Acyn","cache_age":86400,"description":"Walz: This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences.. It's not about hatred. It's not about mean tweets. It's not about demeaning someone. 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Walz: This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences.. It's not about hatred. It's not about mean tweets. It's not about demeaning someone. It's leading with grace and compassion and vision and compromise and decency— that was taken from… pic.twitter.com/BlGFhysHfu

— Acyn (@Acyn) June 16, 2025

Boelter, who has also worked as a pastor, has preached against abortion before, HuffPost’s Paige Skinner reports. Friends of the suspect had also told The Associated Press that he was religious, conservative and previously attended rallies in support of President Donald Trump.

The FBI offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information on Boelter during the manhunt. Local authorities issued a shelter-in-place and warned residents not to engage with any officers working alone, noting they had ordered officers to work in pairs.

Walz also urged Minnesotans to avoid attending any protests as the manhunt took place. Thousands of protests against President Donald Trump, called “No Kings” demonstrations by organizers, took place around the U.S., and several were planned throughout Minnesota on Saturday.

Marita Vlachou contributed to this report.

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