Champlin, Minnesota Man Vance Luther Boelter Sought in Connection with Lawmaker Murders

Champlin, Minnesota Man Vance Luther Boelter Sought in Connection with Lawmaker Murders

CHAMPLIN, MINNESOTA — Vance Luther Boelter, a 57-year-old resident of Champlin and former appointee to Minnesota’s Workforce Development Board, is being sought in connection with a deadly shooting that left state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband dead, and Sen. John Hoffman and his wife seriously injured.

According to police sources, Boelter allegedly posed as a law enforcement officer early Saturday morning before shooting Hoffman and his wife at their Champlin residence. Shortly afterward, he reportedly drove to the home of Rep. Hortman, where he fatally shot both the lawmaker and her husband in what investigators are calling a politically motivated attack.

Authorities said Boelter, who once served under Governors Tim Walz and Mark Dayton, had “No Kings” flyers in his vehicle, believed to reference protests planned against the Trump administration. Officers also recovered a manifesto and a list of other politicians’ names.

Boelter was briefly cornered by law enforcement at the Hortman residence but managed to flee the scene. He remains at large as of Saturday afternoon.