A chilling two-day manhunt gripped Minnesota after a man disguised as a police officer targeted and killed top state lawmakers. What began as a calculated impersonation turned into the largest manhunt in the state’s history—one that ended in a dramatic surrender deep in rural farmland.
On June 14, Vance Boelter, 57, kicked off a violent spree by impersonating a police officer using a black SUV equipped with fake emergency lights and a “POLICE” license plate. His first stop was the home of Senator John Hoffman in Champlin, Minnesota. Posing as law enforcement, Boelter knocked and demanded entry. When Hoffman and his wife Yvette realized the ruse, it was too late—Boelter opened fire, shooting the senator nine times and wounding Yvette as she protected their daughter.
Authorities say Boelter had compiled a hit list of over 45 Democratic lawmakers. Flyers for an anti-Trump rally and multiple assault rifles were found in his vehicle. His second stop was the home of Representative Kristin Bahner, but she and her family weren’t home.
Later, he nearly fooled a real officer. In New Hope, a policewoman checking on Senator Ann Rest spotted Boelter’s SUV, mistaking it for a colleague’s. Boelter remained silent and stared straight ahead. That officer later said the brief encounter likely saved Rest’s life.
His deadliest act came hours later at the Brooklyn Park home of Democratic House Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. As police pulled up, Boelter opened fire and fled into their house, fatally shooting the couple. He abandoned his SUV nearby, leaving behind weapons, target lists, and a letter to the FBI.
For nearly two more days, Boelter vanished. He purchased an e-bike and a Buick sedan from a stranger for $900, withdrew $2,200 from a bank, and was last seen on surveillance wearing a cowboy hat. In one eerie message to his family group chat, he wrote: “Dad went to war last night.”
The breakthrough came when a local resident’s trail camera captured Boelter’s image near his family home in Green Isle, Minnesota. Police swarmed the area with drones, dogs, and SWAT teams. Finally, at 9 p.m. Sunday, Boelter—armed but exhausted—crawled out of hiding and surrendered without resistance.
Authorities are now considering seeking the death penalty for what Governor Tim Walz called a “politically motivated act of domestic terrorism.” Prosecutors are still investigating whether Boelter acted alone.
This haunting case shocked a nation already tense from political unrest, immigration protests, and other violent incidents. Experts say Boelter may have studied past mass shootings, including a 2020 attack in Canada where the killer also posed as a cop.
James Fitzgerald, a former FBI profiler, said such impersonations buy killers more time. “These guys study success stories. Disguising yourself as police is one way to delay getting caught.”
In this case, the disguise worked—at least for 43 hours.
