A chilling wave of violence has rocked Minnesota, as a man allegedly disguised as a police officer unleashed targeted attacks on Democratic lawmakers in a horrifying spree.
On Saturday, Vance Luther Boelter, a 57-year-old suspect and former political appointee of Governor Tim Walz, allegedly shot and killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, while seriously injuring Senator John Hoffman and his wife in a politically charged assault.
The New York Post reported that the nightmare began early that day at the Champlin residence of Senator Hoffman, where Boelter, wearing a police uniform and a disturbing Halloween mask resembling a wrinkled, bald man, reportedly gained entry by impersonating an officer.
Both Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times in the attack, though they were rushed into surgery and are now in stable condition.
From there, Boelter allegedly moved to Brooklyn Park, targeting the home of Melissa Hortman, a progressive Democrat who championed controversial policies like the 2023 PRO Act codifying abortion rights.
Tragically, Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed—Melissa at the scene, and Mark despite desperate efforts by first responders, leaving behind two children and a wounded golden retriever named Gilbert, whose fate remains unclear.
Police arrived at Hortman’s home to find a police vehicle with emergency lights on, only to realize the supposed officer was Boelter, as Chief Mark Bruley noted: “It was not a real police officer.”
That kind of deception—using a badge to exploit trust—is a gut punch to law enforcement and citizens alike, showing how far some will go to push a dangerous agenda.
When officers confronted him, Boelter opened fire, forcing a brief exchange of gunfire before he retreated into the home and ultimately fled, leaving authorities scrambling in a statewide manhunt.
Boelter, last seen in black body armor over a blue shirt and pants, left behind a manifesto naming 70 politicians, including Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, alongside abortion providers and clinics on an apparent hit list.
With both targeted lawmakers being pro-choice Democrats, and Hortman’s legacy tied to expanding reproductive health funding, police are probing whether extreme anti-abortion views fueled this rampage—a theory that aligns with the suspect’s troubling “No Kings” writings tied to anti-Trump protests.
President Trump weighed in on Truth Social, stating: “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated.” His promise of full prosecution through Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI is a reassuring nod to law and order in a state shaken by this tragedy.
Adding a layer of complexity, Boelter was appointed by Governor Walz in 2019 to the bipartisan Workforce Development Board, with a document citing trust in his integrity and judgment—ironic now, given the bloodshed.
Though he served under Democratic governors, Boelter registered as a Republican in 2022 and ran an armed security firm, Praetorian Guard Security Services, which charged hefty fees for armed patrols, hinting at a man with access to weapons and a militaristic mindset.
While SWAT teams raided a Minneapolis home where Boelter rented a room, finding only roommates, surveillance footage showing him in a cowboy hat and that creepy mask outside Hoffman’s home paints a picture of a calculated predator—one whose past struggles in Africa, as noted by a roommate, might hint at deeper instability.