A recent unsealed court filing reveals how Vance Bolter prepared himself and his family for the devastating events. Police found his wife with two guns and about $10,000 in cash.
Suspects charged with “targeted” shooting by Minnesota Sen.
Vance Boelter faces six charges, including murder and stalking, after being told he had “targeted” two Minnesota state legislators at his home.
While dressing officers, the man suspected of killing Minnesota lawmakers and husband in a brave attack was a doomsday “prepper” who put his passport, gun and a ton of cash aside in the event of a catastrophe, new, unsold federal court documents show.
Vance Bolter’s wife relayed plans for the end of the day after being interviewed by police during a manhunt for Bolter, which allegedly shot four people on June 14, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota.
“In an interview, Boelter’s wife identified that she recently received a group text message from Boelter in a group text thread with her children,” wrote FBI special agent Terry Getsch. “The text said something about the effect that they should prepare for war. They need to leave the house, and people with guns may be appearing in the house.”
Law enforcement stopped Boerter’s wife while she traveled with her four children to visit friends in the northwestern Metro area, the federal complaint said. In the car, officers found safety, all children’s passports, Voltreaters, about $10,000 in cash, a glovebox revolver pistol and another semi-automatic pistol in the cooler, the FBI said in the complaint.
Belter, 57, is accused of killing state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and seriously injured Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
New information about Boelter and his family says nearly a week after the attack, investigators say Boelter “had extensive research and planned it.” He compiled a list of mostly democratic state legislators and their speeches. He installed lights and fake license plates on the SUV, similar to police squad cars. He purchased a silicon mask and a weapon cache, according to a 20-page affidavit filed in federal court.
Details of what Boelter’s wife was carrying came after federal agents revealed that Boelter had sent multiple texts to her and her children a few hours after the shooting.
In a group chat, he sent the following message at 6:18am: “Dad went to war last night, I don’t want to say more.
At about the same time, his wife received another message from Boerter. “I’m not going to explain in words how sorry I am about this situation… there will be people who will come armed with Trigger Happy homes, and I don’t want to be around you.”
Authorities say Belter was arrested late June 15, following the biggest manhunt in Minnesota history. Federal prosecutors charged him with several counts of murder and stalking.
Minnesota officials say they believe Boerter impersonated law enforcement to access the victims’ home, exchanged the shootout with police, and fled on foot outside Minneapolis.
Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz called Hortman’s murder “a politically motivated assassination.”
What else should I know about Boelter?
At various times, Belter claims to work in the food service industry. At other moments, he claims to run large companies involved in “security situations” overseas, including Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
A court filing that has not been sealed recently said that Boltorter worked for Red Lion, a “security company and fishing outfit in Congo, Africa.”
On LinkedIn, Boelter called him CEO of Red Lion, according to a report by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA Today network, but the Red Lion website linked to his LinkedIn profile is down, and Boelter said he is open to work.
He also appeared as a speaker for a Minnesota nonprofit organization serving African immigrant communities. In a statement, Minnesota Africans United, a nonprofit in Brooklyn Park, said that Bolter took part in a virtual webinar in August 2022 on trade and investment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Belter’s participation as a speaker was facilitated by a third party, the statement said. He has never been hired, paid or contracted by a nonprofit, but has not been contacted with him since his first appearance.
In the session’s biographies, Boerter explained that he worked for the Congo and the security company.
USA Today previously reported that a LinkedIn page, which was thought to be a member of Boelter, showed that he attended St. Cloud State University. University spokesman Zach Dwyer confirmed that Boelter graduated in 1996.
My childhood friend called the police in a volter
David Carlson, 59, told Reuters that he had shared his Minneapolis home with Beltar for over a year and last saw him on the night of June 13th.
“He said he might have died soon,” Carlson said, calling police.
Carlson, who has known Belter since his fourth grade, said that Bolter worked at the Eye Donation Center and stayed at home because he was close to his job. Carlson felt betrayed by Bolter and heartbroken for the victims, adding that “his family needs to suffer through this.”
Federal authorities said the Bolter family home is in Green Isle, Minnesota, about a mile from where it was ultimately captured. Minnesota, which has approximately 600 people, is about an hour southwest of the Twin City.
Green Isle is a small community, Mayor Shane Sheet told USA Today. Belter didn’t know about political involvement or affiliation with the city, he said.
