Suspect in Hortman’s assassination visited international hotspots, has ties to private security firms
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Authorities say a 57-year-old man from Green Isle is a suspect in the shooting deaths of Minnesota DFL House Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shootings of DFL Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
They identified the man as Vance Luther Boelter.
“We are confirming him as a person of interest,” said Drew Evans, BCA Superintendent during a press conference. “We believe he’s working to potentially flee the area.”
Evans said Boelter was last seen this morning wearing a cowboy hat. He emphasized that people should not approach Boelter and “should consider him armed and dangerous.”
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Local, state and federal law enforcement are conducting a massive search of Boelter. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter’s arrest.
According to Boelter’s LinkedIn page, he is listed as the CEO of Red Lion Group, which is based in Congo, and he’s listed as a part of the leadership team at Praetorian Guard Security, which provides armed home security in the Twin Cities area.
It appears in the past, he’d worked in food production for several companies, including Del Monte and Nestle.
According to his bio on Praetorian Guard Security Boelter worked security situations in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East “including the West Bank, southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.”
The bio says he was trained by both private security firms and “by people in the U.S. Military.”
The company website also said security officers drive “police type vehicles,” wear “protective equipment” and only offer “armed security.” The website also featured an SUV resembling a police vehicle.
Law enforcement personnel said during a Saturday morning press briefing that the alleged shooter impersonated a police officer and drove a vehicle that looked like a police vehicle.
Evans confirmed Boelter’s ties to private security but declined to comment further.
Boelter’s only public criminal history in Minnesota is for minor traffic tickets, including speeding and parking violations.
There isn't any known relationship between Hortman and Boelter, but Boelter and Hoffman both served on the Governor's Workforce Development Board together.
Public records show Boelter and Hoffman served on the board together between 2018 and 2022. Gov. Tim Walz named Boelter to the board in 2019, with a term that expired in 2023.
Evans said they were examining possible links between Boelter and the victims.
Boelter’s neighbors in Green Isle say Boelter moved into a neighboring property about a year and a half ago. The neighbors, who have lived in the house for 12 years, say they did not interact much with the Boelter family.
In a post to LinkedIn in 2019, Boelter encouraged people to vote in the election.
“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 wrote in a post, asking people outside the United States to pray for the country. “I think the election is going to have more of an impact on the direction of our country than probably any election we have been apart of, or will be apart of for years to come.”
Anyone with information about the shootings or Boelter's location should call the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension tip line at 877-996-6222 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us. The Department of Public Safety said the public is asked to call 911 immediately if they see Boelter and should not approach him.
