BREAKING NEWS: Vance Boelter, Suspect in Assassination of Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman, Apprehended in Sibley County After 43-Hour Search

Vance Boelter Captured After Two-Day Manhunt in Minnesota Lawmaker Shootings

June 16, 2025, Minneapolis, MN — In a dramatic conclusion to a 43-hour manhunt described as the largest in Minnesota’s history, authorities apprehended 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter late Sunday evening in Sibley County. Boelter, the prime suspect in the politically motivated shootings that claimed the lives of Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and left State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, wounded, surrendered without incident in a wooded area near his Green Isle residence. The arrest brings a tentative sense of relief to a state reeling from an unprecedented act of targeted political violence.

The attacks unfolded in the early hours of Saturday, June 14, 2025, in the Minneapolis suburbs of Champlin and Brooklyn Park. Around 2 a.m., Boelter, allegedly impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic latex mask, shot Senator John Hoffman and his wife multiple times at their Champlin home. Both survived and are recovering after surgery, with Yvette Hoffman credited with shielding their daughter during the attack. Approximately 90 minutes later, at 3:35 a.m., Brooklyn Park police, proactively checking on Representative Melissa Hortman, encountered Boelter exiting her home. He exchanged gunfire with officers before fleeing on foot, leaving behind a fake police vehicle equipped with emergency lights. Inside the Hortman residence, officers discovered Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband, Mark, 58, fatally shot.

Investigators recovered a chilling manifesto in Boelter’s abandoned vehicle, containing a list of nearly 70 potential targets, primarily Democratic politicians and abortion rights advocates, including Governor Tim Walz, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, U.S. Senator Tina Smith, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. The list, along with fliers referencing the “No Kings” anti-Trump protests, suggested a politically driven motive, though authorities are still probing the exact reasons behind the attacks. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the shootings as a “politically motivated assassination,” emphasizing that such violence “cannot be the norm.”

The manhunt, involving hundreds of detectives, 20 SWAT teams, and air support from the Minnesota State Patrol, intensified on Sunday when a trail camera in Sibley County captured an image of a man matching Boelter’s description. Authorities located his vehicle and a cowboy hat near Green Isle, roughly 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis, prompting an emergency alert for residents to lock their doors. Tactical teams formed a perimeter in the woods, and Boelter, spotted in military gear, crawled toward officers and surrendered peacefully, according to Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Colonel Jeremy Geiger. No force was used during the arrest.

Boelter, a resident of Green Isle with a listed address near the arrest site, faces charges of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, as detailed in a criminal complaint unsealed in Hennepin County District Court. The FBI is also reviewing potential federal charges.

A complex portrait of Boelter has emerged. He claimed an extensive background in security and military training, serving as the director of security patrols for Praetorian Guard Security Services, a Twin Cities-based firm he co-founded with his wife, Jenny, who was briefly detained for questioning but released without charges. The company’s website boasted of using police-style vehicles and armed security, though a friend, David Carlson, described Boelter’s security career as largely “fantasy.” Boelter also worked at funeral homes and claimed to have traveled to conflict zones like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he spoke about trade and religious outreach. Carlson, a longtime friend, noted Boelter’s conservative views, opposition to abortion, and support for Donald Trump, but said he never expressed hostility toward the targeted lawmakers. Boelter had recently faced financial and mental health challenges, sending a text to Carlson on Saturday morning hinting at his actions: “I made some choices… I may be dead shortly.”