What Motivated The Minnesota Lawmaker Shooting Suspect Is Unclear, So Are His Politics

Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., condemned nan assassination of erstwhile Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her hubby arsenic politically motivated, but questions stay astir nan suspect's governmental preferences. 

The Minnesota politician instantly denounced what he said "appears to beryllium a politically motivated assassination," pursuing nan attacks Saturday morning.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, is accused of killing Hortman and her husband, Mark, and shooting authorities Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, successful abstracted incidents early Saturday morning. 

Lawmakers from Minnesota and crossed nan United States person since joined Walz successful condemning nan convulsive attacks. Politicians and authorities person been clear that Saturday's onslaught was politically motivated, but they person been little clear astir nan suspect's governmental preferences. 

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Gov. Tim Walz speaks astatine a property convention held astatine nan Minnesota Emergency Management Center pursuing nan apprehension of Vance Boelter. (Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)

U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said Monday that Boelter's superior motive was "to spell retired and execution people," arsenic authorities announced nan suspect's apprehension connected Monday aft a two-day manhunt. 

"Now, they were each elected officials," Thompson said. "They were each Democrats. Beyond that, I deliberation it's conscionable measurement excessively speculative for anyone that has reviewed these materials to cognize and to opportunity what was motivating him successful position of ideology aliases circumstantial issues."

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Boelter, 57, was deed pinch federal charges aft officials captured him successful Sibley County connected Sunday night. He is being charged pinch 2 counts of stalking, 2 counts of execution and 2 counts of firearm-related crimes successful national court. Boelter is besides facing second-degree execution charges, revenge successful Hennepin County. 

Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman was fatally changeable connected Saturday. (Glen Stubb via Getty.)

"Political unit has nary spot successful this country," Alvin M. Winston, FBI Minneapolis Special Agent, said during a property convention connected Monday. 

While Thompson said it was excessively early to place circumstantial governmental motivation, he was clear successful saying, "This was a governmental assassination."

"It's only nan astir caller illustration of convulsive governmental extremism successful this country," Thompson added, successful ray of 2 assassination attempts connected President Donald Trump past year, nan onslaught connected erstwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hubby astatine their location successful San Francisco successful 2022 and nan shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., astatine nan legislature shot crippled successful 2017, to sanction a few. 

Records uncover Boelter registered to ballot arsenic a Republican while surviving successful Oklahoma successful 2004 earlier moving to Minnesota, wherever voters don’t database statement affiliation.

Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley speaks astatine a property convention held astatine nan Minnesota Emergency Management Center pursuing nan apprehension of Vance Boelter, nan fishy successful nan assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her hubby and nan attempted assassination of Sen. John Hoffman and his woman successful Minnesota connected June 15, 2025.  (Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu)

Boelter was antecedently appointed to Minnesota's Workforce Development Board by 2 governors, according to Fox 9. 

The fishy was reportedly appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, successful 2016, and past re-appointed by Walz successful 2019 arsenic a backstage assemblage typical to nan council. He antecedently served connected nan aforesaid committee arsenic Hoffman earlier his word expired successful 2023.

Friends and erstwhile colleagues interviewed by The Associated Press described Boelter arsenic a devout Christian who attended an evangelical religion and attended Trump rallies. 

Paul Shroeder, who has known Boelter for years, told AP, "He was right-leaning politically but ne'er fanatical, from what I saw, conscionable beardown beliefs," and added, "It seemed to beryllium conscionable that he was a blimpish Republican who people followed Trump."

A Fox News hunt recovered nary results for individual contributions to federally registered governmental committees. 

According to Boelter's LinkedIn page, he has a purported extended information background, including arsenic CEO of Red Lion Group based successful nan Democratic Republic of Congo. He is besides listed arsenic nan head of Praetorian Guard Security Services, a information patient his woman reportedly revenge to create, according to nan company's website. 

Several AK-style firearms were recovered from Boelter's conveyance during nan investigation, on pinch a heap of "No Kings" flyers, reflecting anti-Trump management protests that erupted crossed nan state this weekend. 

Walz had planned to speak astatine a "No Kings" rally successful St. Paul connected Saturday earlier nan assassination. 

Federal prosecutors released images they said were from Minnesota lawmaker shooting fishy Vance Boelter's notebooks successful a criminal complaint, June 16, 2025. (Department of Justice)

Authorities besides found a manifesto that listed nan names and addresses of different nationalist officials. About 70 names were recovered successful nan manifesto, according to 2 rule enforcement officials who said to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity. Officials said nan database besides included nan names of pro-abortion politicians, abortion authorities advocates and accusation astir wellness attraction facilities.

"There were immoderate abortion-rights supporters, I believe, connected nan list. But again, location was dozens and dozens and dozens of names on, you know, hundreds of pages of documents that were recovered pinch his writings connected them," Thompson said. 

Boelter's roommate told The New York Post that he had blimpish governmental views but seldom talked astir authorities and didn’t look overtly political.

"He was a Trump supporter. He voted for Trump. He liked Trump. I for illustration Trump," his lifelong friend David Carlson said. "He didn’t for illustration abortion."

Carlson told The New York Times that Bolter had been experiencing financial and intelligence wellness challenges, and told nan publication that he "just gave up connected life for immoderate reason."

According to The Wall Street Journal, Carlson woke up connected Saturday to a matter from Boelter that he was "going to beryllium gone for a while" and "may beryllium dormant shortly." 

"I thought he was going to do self-harm," Carlson said. "I didn’t deliberation he was going to do thing for illustration this." 

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Walz continued to denounce nan unit during a property convention Monday. 

"A infinitesimal successful this state wherever we watched unit erupt. This cannot beryllium nan norm. It cannot beryllium nan measurement that we woody pinch our governmental differences."

And Walz added successful a connection that we "cannot go numb to this violence," adding we are a "deeply divided nation."

Walz's agency and nan U.S. Attorney's Office for nan District of Minnesota did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital inquiry. 

Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace, Michael Dorgan, Julia Bonavita, Audrey Conklin, Peter D'Abrosca and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.