Suspect Vance Boelter in Minnesota lawmakers shooting arrested by police: Sources
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By ABC News Staff
(ABC NEWS) – The massive search for the man suspected of the fatal shootings of Minnesota lawmakers concluded on Sunday evening when he was arrested by police, multiple sources confirmed to ABC News.
Vance Boelter, 57, was arrested near his farm in Green Isle, Minnesota. He was spotted on a trail via camera earlier Sunday and then taken into custody, sources said.
He is accused of the fatal shootings of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and a separate shooting attack on another state lawmaker and his spouse.
Authorities said they’ve identified 57-year-old Vance Boelter as a person of interest.FBI
The twin attacks in Champlin and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on Saturday led to the discovery in the suspect’s vehicle of an alleged target list of dozens of Minnesota Democrats, including Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and state Attorney General Keith Ellison, according to law enforcement sources.
During a press conference Sunday evening, police said a hat believed to be associated with the suspect was found near his alleged vehicle. There were several items of evidence relevant to the ongoing investigation found in the vehicle outside of the alleged target list, police added.
The discovery of the hat is what led authorities to believe Boelter was in the area.
Authorities gather at a baseball park in Green Isle, Minnesota, June 15, 2025, as they search for the 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, the suspect in the fatal shooting of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.Craig Lassig/EPA-EFE/Shutterstocl
Police said that Boelter had been in contact with individuals, but were trying to determine if he was receiving any assistance while on the run from law enforcement. “All options are on the table,” said Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said earlier Sunday.
The FBI was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter’s arrest.
There was a nationwide warrant for Boelter’s arrest on a state level and a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, police said Sunday.
Boelter is suspected of gaining entry to the lawmakers’ homes by disguising himself as a police officer, even arriving at the victims’ home in a vehicle that looked like a police cruiser equipped with flashing emergency lights, officials said.
Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman are shown in these undated file photos.Minnesota House of Representatives | Minnesota Senate
The shootings unfolded around 2 a.m. Saturday, when Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were both shot multiple times at their home in Champlin, Minnesota, authorities said.
Soon after the shooting at the Hoffmans’ home, state Rep. Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park, according to authorities.
Leah Palmer visits a makeshift memorial for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark at the state Capitol, June 15, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn.George Walker Iv/AP
MORE: Minnesota assassination suspect Vance Boelter on the run; wore realistic latex mask
Police believe the suspect opened fire on the victims while wearing a latex mask, sources said.
A makeshift memorial for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark is seen at the state Capitol, June 15, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn.George Walker Iv/AP
Following the shooting at Hoffman’s residence, officers were sent to Hortman’s home to check on her well-being, officials said. As officers arrived at the residence, they encountered the gunman at around 3:35 a.m. The suspect and the officers exchanged gunfire before the suspect escaped, flee on foot and leaving behind his fake police car, where investigators found his target list, authorities said.
Two associates of Sen. Hoffman and his wife told ABC News on Sunday that the couple was awake and out of surgery.
Yvette Hoffman is conscious and “doing relatively well,” and John Hoffman is alert and recovering from a collapsed lung, the associates said. One source estimates that Sen. Hoffman was shot multiple times.
“Everybody is cautiously optimistic,” one of the sources said.
Authorities said they’ve identified 57-year-old Vance Boelter as a person of interest.KSTP
Boelter – a husband and father, according to an online biography – has touted an extensive background in security and military training, according to an ABC News review of his online presence and professional history.
Boelter helped lead the private security firm Praetorian Guard Security Services, which is based in the Twin Cities area, according to the company website.
The suspect’s wife was detained for questioning after a traffic stop near Onamia late on Saturday morning, multiple law enforcement sources told Minnesota ABC News affiliate KSTP. She was released without being arrested, according to KTSP, which reports it’s unknown why her vehicle was stopped.
ABC News’ Josh Margolin, David Brennan, Emily Shapiro, Jack Moore, Luke Barr and Mike Levine contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.