As the search continues for the man accused of impersonating a police officer and killing State Rep. Melissa Hortman and wounding State Sen. John Hoffman, a clearer portrait of the suspect is emerging.
Here’s what we’ve learned about Vance Boelter:
• Work: While his exact employment status was unknown, we know that Boelter had worked for a security company, Praetorian Guard Security Services, which advertised a fleet of “police type vehicles” and other equipment that could potentially have aided him in appearing to be law enforcement. The firm was registered to Boelter’s home address and listed a woman who is apparently his wife as president and CEO.
• Religion: He is an outspoken evangelical Christian who traveled to Africa to tell his story and, in at least one sermon, pointedly questioned American morals on sexual orientation, according to videos and social media posts reviewed by CNN.
• Hit list: Names on a list found in his car, which CNN obtained, are largely Democrats or figures with ties to Planned Parenthood or the abortion rights movement. The list included lawmakers such as Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Tina Smith.
• Political views: He largely shied away from political posts in his publicly available social media feeds and did not discuss abortion rights in any religious speeches reviewed by CNN. In one talk he gave in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023, he appeared sharply critical of LGBTQ rights.
• Link to victim: He served on a state board with Hoffman, records show. In 2019, Gov. Tim Walz put Boelter on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board – a group of business owners who recommend policies to the state government. It’s unclear how closely Boelter and Hoffman interacted in that role, if at all.
• Party affiliation: Boelter registered to vote as a Republican in the early 2000s, state records show. A state document listing his 2019 appointment to a development board noted that he had “no party preference.”
• No record: A search of Minnesota criminal records showed no cases against Boelter aside from some traffic charges.
• Education: Boelter’s LinkedIn page states he had a doctorate in educational leadership and a master’s of science in management, both from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, and he used the prefix Dr. on his website and social media.
• Family: Social media posts indicate he has multiple children.
• Home: Boelter had a property outside the small town of Green Isle, about 50 miles west of Minneapolis, according to records.
Read more about the suspect.
CNN’s Isabelle Chapman, Curt Devine, Yahya Abou-Ghazala, Anna-Maja Rappard, Scott Glover, John Miller and Rob Kuznia contributed to this report.
