MINNEAPOLIS — As a massive manhunt for Vance Boelter continues, authorities are piecing together a profile of the man accused of killing a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another in two separate “politically motivated” shootings Saturday morning.
State Rep. Melissa Hortman of Brooklyn Park and her husband, Mark, were killed in one shooting, and state Sen. John Hoffman of Champlin and his wife, Yvette, were severely injured in another. Hoffman and his wife remain hospitalized.
Officials say Boelter impersonated law enforcement to gain access to the lawmakers' homes. Photos, believed to be of Boelter, show a man at one of the victims’ doors wearing a long-sleeve shirt and what looks like a bulletproof vest similar to those worn by law enforcement. Another photo shows a man wearing a cowboy hat walking alone.
Where the investigation stands
Early Sunday evening, authorities said the suspect was the subject of a state arrest warrant backed by allegations of murder and attempted murder, as well as a federal arrest warrant that alleges he is on the run to avoid prosecution.
"We're still operating as though he's still alive," Drew Evans, superintendent of the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said at a news conference.
Authorities found what they believe is his vehicle and cowboy hat in Sibley County, where an emergency alert has been issued for residents in the area to keep their doors locked and cars secured, NBC affiliate KARE of Minneapolis reported.
The vehicle, seen on KARE footage being taken away on a flatbed truck, is a fifth-generation Buick Regal sedan, a model sold from 2009 to 2017. It was discovered near a wooded area, according to Sibley County Sheriff Patrick Nienaber. The hat was found at the side of a highway near the car, he said.
"We did find items in that car that are relevant to this investigation," Evans said. He declined to identify the items amid the active investigation.
Nienaber wouldn’t say who made the discovery of the car and hat, reported about 6:30 a.m. Sunday. It caused fear and hope simultaneously.
“Well, finding a car that that we believe was associated with him, and a hat that he probably was wearing, logically, you know, makes you think that at least he was in the area this morning,” Nienaber said.
Law enforcement, including state troopers, set up a staging area Sunday about 3 miles from Boelter's Green Isle home. Video showed armed state troopers in the area, about 50 miles west-southwest of Minneapolis.
Referring to residents in and near the search zone after 10 hours of looking for Boelter there, Nienaber said, "I don't believe they should be scared, but I think they should be vigilant."
But with sunlight hours ending soon, he said, optimism over finding the alleged shooter has given way to more uncertainty.
"We have no more information since then to tell us if he's still in the area," the sheriff said in an interview. "So we don't know where he is. We have continued our search of the area and kind of expanded it out to different areas where potentially it makes sense to look for him. We have not found him."
Nearly 200 law enforcement personnel were on the ground in the eastern edge of Sibley County on Sunday, and they'll continue to search "as long as we need to, as long as we believe that there's reason that he might be in the area," Nienaber said.
The sheriff addressed locals to say, "We are doing the best that we can."
He's married with five children
Boelter, 57, was identified as the suspect by state Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson, who described him as 6-foot-1 with brown hair, wearing a light-colored cowboy hat and a dark long-sleeve collared shirt or coat. Jacobson urged people not to approach Boelter if they see him, adding that he is "armed and dangerous." At a news briefing Saturday, Gov. Tim Walz said the shootings were "politically motivated."
According to a video circulating online, Boelter is married and a father of five children. His wife, who has not been identified, was stopped by the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office Saturday morning in Onamia, Minnesota, as part of a perimeter stop. "Several other relatives" were in the car, according to the sheriff's office, and no one in the vehicle was questioned or searched.
Evans, of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said the suspect's wife and relatives have been "very cooperative" and provided information sought by investigators.
Authorities are not ruling out the possibility the suspect had help planning or executing the alleged shootings, Evans said, but so far no evidence has emerged that he did.
There is evidence the suspect has been speaking to people as he remains on the run, Evans noted.
"He’s certainly been in contact with individuals," Evans said. "Whether or not they’re providing active assistance, I can’t provide that.”
He said a BOLO, or be-on-the-lookout bulletin, for sightings of Boelter covers South Dakota and other "surrounding states," but that there is no specific information that would put him in South Dakot on Sunday.
He worked in Africa
In a 2022 video posted to Facebook and verified by NBC News, Minnesota Africans United featured a person introduced as Vance Boelter during a discussion about trade and investment opportunities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As a keynote presenter, Boelter said he was calling from the DRC and spoke about his work partnering with farmers and fishermen in the country to help them stimulate their food supply system.
In a statement shared with NBC News, a spokesperson for Minnesota Africans United said " there is no connection between Minnesota Africans United and the individual who carried out the assassinations and attacks" on Hortman, Hoffman and their spouses.
On his LinkedIn profile, Boelter listed himself as the CEO for Red Lion Group, although he also marked himself as "open to work." It is not immediately clear what Red Lion Group is. In a post two years ago, Boelter wrote that he was in the DRC "working on several projects" and that the company "had a great meeting with the new Governor of Congo Central to talk about our private business projects."
Boelter was also listed as the director of security patrols for a Minnesota-based company called Praetorian Guard Security Service, according to a biography on the company's website. In the bio, Boelter is said to have "been involved with security situations in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, including the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
In a LinkedIn post six years ago, Boelter encouraged people to vote in the presidential election.
"I have been in several countries where people don't have the ability to vote for who their leaders are," he wrote. "So I am very big on just telling people to be a part of the process and vote your values and be part of this adventure we are all a part of living in the United States of America."
He spoke at church sermons
Boelter delivered church sermons in the DRC in 2021, 2022 and 2023, according to livestreams posted on Facebook authenticated by NBC News. In a 2021 speech, he began with a prayer and then spoke about his path to becoming a better Christian.
Boelter recounted working in a vegetable-canning factory at age 17 with a co-worker who "talked about God all the time," ultimately inspiring him to take his religion more seriously.
At one point during his testimony, Boelter dropped to his knees as he described the moment he dedicated his life to Jesus.
"And I said, 'I'm so sorry, forgive me God, for living for myself, and not for you,'" he said. "And I said, 'Jesus, if you forgive me of my sin and save me, I'll live for you for the rest of my life.'"
He worked for two funeral homes
In a résumé-style video circulating online, Boelter introduces himself as a married father of five from Green Isle, Minnesota, who works for two funeral homes, Wulff Funeral Home and Metro First Call, handling what he called "removals."
“Fun fact about myself: I’ve been in the food industry about 30 years, and that led to an opportunity. I was invited to the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said in the video, adding that he worked with Del Monte Foods and Minnesota-based chicken producer Gold’n Plump.
Boelter said he left the food industry because his company “wasn’t interested in doing anything in Africa.” He said he then transitioned to the funeral home business while he pursued projects in Africa on his own.
Boelter mentioned in the video that he was taking a course to learn more about the funeral industry, indicating it may have been recorded for the class. The timing of the video, recorded using the screen-recording software Screenpal, remains unclear.
In a statement, Tim Koch, the owner of Metro First Call, said Boelter worked for the company from August 2023 until he "voluntarily left" this February.
"To say anything more at this time would be irresponsible as the investigation continues," Koch said.
'A loving, caring guy'
Boelter's roommate, who was not identified, spoke to KARE about him.
"I mean, he was a loving, caring guy, you know," the man told the station. "Loved his family, loved his friends and loved God, and I don’t know why he did what he did. It’s just, it’s not Vance. No one will believe this."
The roommate said he got a final message from Boelter around 6 a.m. Saturday in which he said he "may be dead shortly."
"So, I just want to let you know that I love you guys both, and I wish it hadn’t gone this way," read the text, read by Boelter's tearful roommate. "I don’t want to say anything more and implicate you in any way, because you guys don’t know anything about this. But I love you guys, and I’m sorry for all the trouble this has caused."
It was not clear whether the roommate lived with Boelter and his family or whether he had been living separately from his family with the roommate.
On Saturday, several vehicles drove past the boarded-up house to get a glimpse of where Boelter often stayed. Neighbors went about their routines — one barbecuing for her children, while another was mowing his lawn.
But living near a suspect wanted in a murder case has already taken its toll.
"I’m terrified, yes, I’m scared," said Kameko White, 33, who lives directly across the street from where Boelter sometimes resided. "I have a killer who lives across the street."
White said she was trying to process the shooting, having seen Boelter days earlier, smoking a cigarette.
"He clearly snapped and he’s on the run," White said.
Anyone who sees Boelter is encouraged to call 911. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest.
