A former appointee of Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 running mate, is being sought in connection with the assassination of one state lawmaker and the shooting of another, according to law enforcement sources.
Vance Luther Boelter allegedly impersonated a police officer when he entered the Champlin home of State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife early Saturday, shooting both and leaving them seriously wounded. Authorities believe he then traveled to the home of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman, where he fatally shot her and her husband, sources told The Post.
Despite a brief exchange of gunfire with responding officers at the Hortman residence, Boelter managed to escape. Police say he left behind a manifesto naming additional political targets, along with documents bearing the phrase “No Kings,” referencing the ongoing nationwide protests against President Donald Trump.
Suspect in the Minnesota attack is reportedly Vance Luther Boelter.
He was appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board in 2019 by Gov. Tim Walz.
Boelter had ‘NO KINGS’ flyers in his car.
Walz needs to resign. pic.twitter.com/4T6Xs9zevT
— Paul A. Szypula ?? (@Bubblebathgirl) June 14, 2025
Walz described the attack as a “politically motivated assassination,” though officials have not publicly discussed the suspect’s exact motives. The shooting occurred just five days after Hortman broke ranks with her party, joining Republican lawmakers in a vote to restrict access to state health benefits for undocumented immigrants in Minnesota.
Trump also said there were likely political motivations in play, but did not divulge any further details. “I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”
The gunman first targeted the Champlin home of Hoffman, just outside Minneapolis, leaving both him and his wife seriously injured before proceeding to Hortman’s residence, officials said. Following the incident at Hoffman’s home, Champlin police alerted authorities in neighboring Brooklyn Park, where 55-year-old Hortman lived, prompting officers there to conduct a welfare check, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley stated during a Saturday news conference.
“When they arrived at Melissa’s house, they noticed that there was a police vehicle in the driveway with the emergency lights on and what appeared to be a police officer at the door coming out of the house,” Bruley said, adding that the suspect was wearing a vest, a badge and other equipment, such as a Taser, “very similar to mine.”
“When our officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers, who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home,” he continued. “It was not a real police officer. This is someone that clearly had been impersonating a police officer who uses the trust of this badge and this uniform to manipulate their way into the home.”
Hortman was declared dead at the scene. Her husband, Mark, died as first responders tried to deliver life-saving measures. The couple had two children, The Post reported.
