BY: DM
Published 4 weeks ago
Authorities staged a massive search operation in rural Minnesota during the manhunt for the suspect accused of targeting state lawmakers. After a 43-hour manhunt — the largest in Minnesota history — officers captured 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter on June 15. Boelter faces a raft of state and federal charges, including multiple counts of murder, in the assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and the shooting of three others.
According to Reuters, Boelter — a former security guard and evangelical minister — allegedly posed as a police officer and carried out a pre-dawn home-invasion spree on June 14. The attacks, described by prosecutors as “targeted political assassinations,” have sent shockwaves through Minnesota’s capital. While investigators have not announced a definitive motive, emerging evidence paints Boelter as a man driven by extremist ideology and grievance. It appears that hate towards LGBTQIA+ folks and other communities could have influenced Boelter’s actions.
The Minnesota shooter was an extreme conservative.
Friends and former roommates describe Boelter as a devout Christian fundamentalist who harbored intense right-wing political beliefs, AP reports. These included strident opposition to abortion and LGBTQIA+ rights. Boelter’s own words reinforce this. In video recordings of sermons he delivered as a missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023, Boelter railed against queer and transgender people, portraying modern America as morally lost. “People in America… don’t know what sex they are. They don’t know their sexual orientation — they’re confused. The enemy has gotten so far into their mind and their soul,” Boelter said via The Advocate.
He also thundered from the pulpit about the evils of abortion and the need for churches to toughen up against societal “decay.” Interviews and public records suggest Boelter sought to act on these extreme beliefs. A childhood friend turned roommate told reporters that Boelter was a fervent supporter of former President Trump and an avid consumer of conspiracy outlet InfoWars — views he largely kept private until his violent outburst.
According to CBS, Boelter’s handwritten target list included prominent Democratic officeholders, abortion providers, Planned Parenthood clinics, and liberal community leaders. At least two high-profile LGBTQIA+ elected officials — U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and U.S. Representative Mark Pocan — were among the names. Both Baldwin and Pocan are openly gay and have championed LGBTQIA+ rights. They confirmed that law enforcement warned them that their names appeared on the suspect’s list.
The Minnesota shooting suspect has been hit with six charges.
Officers wasted no time tracking down and detaining the Minnesota shooting suspect. At an initial court appearance in St. Paul, the suspect was arraigned on six federal counts, including stalking and firearm offenses related to murder. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson noted that the federal charges could carry a potential death penalty, underscoring the severity of the crime.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty also announced plans to pursue first-degree murder charges at the state level. A conviction would mean life in prison without parole. Governor Tim Walz immediately denounced the killings as “a politically motivated assassination.” He urged Minnesotans to reject violence as a means of addressing political differences.
Do you think prosecutors should charge this as a hate crime in addition to murder? Comment below!
