The suspect in the fatal shooting of Minnesota lawmakers and her husband — another local politician and his wife also shot — has been identified, but had not yet been found as of early Saturday afternoon.
Vance Luther Belter, 57, was officially appointed as a suspect at a press conference held early Saturday afternoon in the morning.
Belter reportedly shot and killed Minnesota Sen. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark early Saturday morning at their home in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolin. He is also allegedly shot and killed Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their residence in nearby Shampurin.
The victim’s identity was confirmed by officials at a press conference on Saturday morning. Hoffman (MN-34) and his wife both suffered injuries called “important,” but Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he was “optimistic” that he would both survive.
After learning who the first pair of victims were, officers went to check out the house of Rep. Hortman and upon arrival they found what was a police vehicle and what looked like a man dressed to the officer at the door leaving the house.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said the suspect retreated into his home and fired at officers before fleeing.
Vance Luther Boelter can be seen in photos of Praetorian Guard Services LLC, a company started by Boelter’s wife, according to state records. He is listed as the company’s security director.
Thousands of residents within a three-mile radius of a local golf course were asked to evacuate in place as authorities were looking for bolters that were armed and considered dangerous. He was told by law enforcement that he was driving a fake police car and pretended to be an officer when the shooting occurred.
Shelter-in-place orders were lifted just after 4:20pm local time.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to Los Angeles Area Street to protest against “King” Trump
The work referring to the names of the victims and other officials and the names of other officials was found in a fake squad car.
“There’s no King” is likely to refer to the protest against President Donald Trump’s administration, which is occurring across America on Saturday. The Minneapolis and statewide demonstrations were cancelled as a result of the shooting.
Vance Luther Belter is seen in the photo announced at a press conference on Saturday, June 14th, 2025.
State records show that Belter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development committee as Senator Hoffman, but it is not clear whether or how well they know each other. He was appointed in 2016 by then Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, and reappointed in 2019 by the Governor of Waltz for a four-year term, and expired in 2023.
State records also show that Boelter’s wife filed to form a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC. The company’s website lists her as president and CEO and Beltar as director of security patrols.
The exact motivation for filming has not yet been established. But Governor Waltz said the incident was a “targeted” act, and later called it a “politically motivated assassination.”
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