More Information Emerging About Suspect in Murder of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and Husband Mark

(KNSI) – More information is emerging of the suspect accused of shooting of Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette before assassinating Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

Vance Boelter is 57 years old and his Facebook page appears to have been deleted, but his LinkedIn bio identifies him as Dr. Vance Boelter and that he is a CEO of Red Lion Group in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also is the Director of Security Patrols for Praetorian Guard Security Services, which provides security for private citizens.

In 2016, he was appointed by former Governor Mark Dayton to serve on the Governor’s Workforce Development Council, and was appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board in 2019 by Governor Tim Walz. Both Hoffman and Hortman served on those boards with Boelter. To serve on a government board, political affiliation is not a determining factor for a majority of the positions.

His profile says he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from St. Cloud State University before attending Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Management and then a Doctorate in Leadership.

Authorities say they were called to the Champlin home of Sen. Hoffman to find he and his wife had been shot five or six times. They were rushed to Mercy Hospital for treatment. They made it through surgery, and are expected to recover. A quick thinking police officer thought to check the Brooklyn Park home of Rep. Hortman less than ten miles away to see a running vehicle with flashing lights and what appeared to be a police officer in the door.

Boelter was wearing blue clothing and black body armor along with a taser and other items an officer would carry on their duty belt.

During a briefing from the Department of Public Safety, they said Boelter engaged police in a firefight before escaping the Hortman home and getting away. A drone was sent into the house where they made the grim discovery.

A search of the SUV in Hortman’s driveway showed a manifesto with up to 70 names on it, including Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Tina Smith.

A manhunt is currently underway. Law enforcement swarmed a home believed to be owned by Boelter in Green Isle, Minnesota, which is in Sibley County.

The FBI has released a poster and offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Boelter.

Boelter is described as 6’1″ 225 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a light colored cowboy hat with blue pants and a dark long sleeved shirt. Anyone who sees him is asked not to approach him and call 911. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says Boelter is considered armed an dangerous.

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