FBI announces $50,000 bounty on Minnesota shooting suspect, who served state board; Manhunt underway

The authorities have identified the suspect behind the shooting of two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota on Saturday. The suspect was identified by the authorities as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. What makes the revelation shocking is the fact that Boelter had served on a state board with one of the victims, records show.

He was appointed by multiple Minnesota governors to the Workforce Development Board, where he served with State Senator John A. Hoffman, who was shot and survived the incident. According to The New York Times, Boelter and Senator Hoffman attended a virtual meeting together as recently as 2022.

The two held a discussion about the job market in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic. In the Saturday shooting incident, the suspect killed Minnesota State Speaker Rep. Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband. Shortly after the attack, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched a manhunt for Boelter with a $50,000 award for providing information leading to his arrest.

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“Anyone with information about these shootings or Boelter’s location should call the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) tip line at 877-996-6222 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us,” the Minnesota state office said in a separate statement. The office also warned members of the public to be cautious and not seek to contact Boelter. “The public is asked to call 911 immediately if they see Boelter. Do not approach him,” the release said.

An insider’s job

According to the state records, Boelter was appointed to the board in 2016 by Mark Dayton, a Democrat who was then the governor of Minnesota. He was recently appointed by the state’s current Governor, Tim Walz, also a Democrat. The board Boelter was part of a board which usually has 41 members who are appointed by the governor, and its goal is to improve business development in the state.

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The 2016 state record listed Boelter’s political affiliation as “none or other,” and another report in 2020 listed him as having “no party preference.” It is pertinent to note that voters do not declare political affiliation when they register in Minnesota.

The police told local reporters that the suspect in the attacks disguised himself as a police officer and went to the homes of two state lawmakers in the Minneapolis suburbs. He eventually shot and wounded Senator Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, and fatally shot State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. The shooter still remains at large.