A Conversation with David J. Boelter: Why people don’t know what sex they are, what their interests, and where they come from
“I am very big on just telling people to be a part of the process and vote your values,” he wrote, “and be part of this adventure we are all a part of living in the United States of America.”
In November 2018, Mr. Boelter urged his followers on LinkedIn to vote in that year’s election, saying he had been to countries where people could not elect their leaders and that were “not places that anyone of us would want to live in.”
The website for Mr. Boelter claims that he was involved with security situations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as worked for the largest U.S. oil refining company.
“There’s people, especially in America, they don’t know what sex they are,” he said. “They don’t know their sexual orientation, they’re confused. The enemy is far into their mind and soul.
In public records and his LinkedIn profile, Boelter also claimed to have worked in in Africa, activities that may have included an evangelical ministry.
More recently, he had said on LinkedIn that he was the chief executive of a company called Red Lion Group, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, dedicated to creating “good jobs for local people,” according to its website.
State reports show he has worked as the general manager of a gas station in St. Paul and the general manager of a 7-Eleven in Minneapolis. According to a report in the year 2017, he is an executive at an energy company.
Boelter abandoned an SUV he was wearing that resembled a law enforcement vehicle at the scene of one of the shootings after police confronted him. He fled the scene on foot.
A Minneapolis shooter who killed two lawmakers and his wife, Tina Smith, and her husband in January 2016 in the Praetorian Guard Security Services, a Minnesota-based security firm
The firm says it offers only armed security. If you are looking for guards that are not armed, please get in touch with another service, as it will better meet your needs.
Mr. Boelter is listed as the director of security patrols on the website of Praetorian Guard Security Services, a Minnesota-based company that says it provides private patrols and uniformed security. He is listed as the president’s spouse. The firm’s website describes using Ford Explorer S.U.V.s, “the same make and model of vehicles that many police departments use.”
The shooter had a target list that included Tina Smith’s name as well as those of many other Democrats, she said in an interview.
The suspect in the attacks went to the homes of two state lawmakers while pretending to be a police officer, according to the police. The man shot and wounded the senator, his wife, and the State Representative who was with her husband. He remains on the run.
A state report in 2016 listed Mr. Boelter’s political affiliation as “none or other,” and another report in 2020 listed him as having “no party preference.” Voters do not declare political affiliation when they register in Minnesota.
Mr. Boelter was appointed to the board in 2016 by Mark Dayton, a Democrat who was then the governor. More recently, he was appointed by Gov. Tim Walz, also a Democrat. The goal of the board is to improve business development in the state with 41 members appointed by the governor.
Vance Boelter, 57, of Minneapolis, in the aftermath of the Minnesota Coronavirus Epidemic: A virtual meeting with two colleagues in 2022
Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said investigators did not yet know how well the two knew each other, if at all.
Mr. Boelter and Senator Hoffman attended a virtual meeting together in 2022 for a discussion about the job market in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, minutes from the meeting show.
The man suspected of shooting two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota early on Saturday had served on a state board with one of the victims, records show.
The police have said that the suspect in Saturday’s attacks, Vance Boelter, 57, disguised himself as a police officer before going to the homes of two state lawmakers in the Minneapolis suburbs.
“I think the election is going to have more of an impact on the direction of our country than probably any election we have been apart of, or will be apart of for years to come,” he continued.
He said that he went to talk with officials about his private business projects. NPR wasn’t able to confirm the veracity of that claim.
There was no evidence to support Boelter’s account. He appears to have worked most of his career in the food service industry and one long-time friend described parts of Boelter’s narrative about his life as “fantasy.”
A Minnesota State Lawmaker with a Great Leader: A Manhunt for the Food Worker who Spent a Day of Security Career in Minnesota Political Shootings
“We are still exploring that,” said Evans with the Minnesota BCA. “There are certainly some overlap with some public meetings, I will say, with Senator Hoffman and the individual but we don’t know the nature of the relationship or if they actually knew each other.”
“This was an act of targeted political violence. The foundation of our democracy is peaceful discourse. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint,” said Walz, who ordered flags in the state flown at half-staff in honor of Hortman, calling her “a great leader.”
“Melissa Hortman woke up every day determined to make our state a better place,” Walz said in the order, according to Minnesota Public Radio. “She served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, and tirelessness.”
A nationwide manhunt is in its second day for Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who has been identified by law enforcement agencies in Minnesota as the primary suspect in the targeted shootings early Saturday morning that left Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband dead.
There was no record of any clients or services for the firm. A call to a company’s phone number appears to be connected to a private phone line, not a business. The address listed in the papers was for a law firm that deals in divorce litigation.
Source: Food worker with ‘fantasy’ of security career sought in Minnesota political shootings
The Boelter Project: A Realist’s View of a Future Security Firm and a Demonstration of Abortion Rights
Boelter intended to set up a security firm and purchase police-style cars for his business, but the project never came to fruition. That was a fantasy. There was no movement, despite there being talk about it.
“I love you guys and I’ve made some choices,” Carlson read. “I wish it hadn’t gone this way, because I might be dead soon.” Boelter was opposed to abortion rights but hadn’t spoken about it in a long time.
Evans said investigators aren’t yet certain Boelter acted alone. We don’t know if other people are involved. There might be other people with this person, although he is the person of interest at the moment.
The Minnesota attorney general and a number of others have said they were targets by Boelter.
“I don’t know if he had any specialized experience or training and I am not sure what the motivation might be from these writings,” he said.
“We are working diligently on that,” Evans said, noting Boelter left a written message recovered by law enforcement, which hasn’t yet been made public.
David Carlson said he has been friends with Mr. Boelter since fourth grade and had police execute a search warrant at his address in Minneapolis. Green Isle is an hour away from Mr. Boelter’s listed address. Mr. Carlson said that Mr. Boelter also rented a room in the same house and was there several days a week.
A Memorino from a Pastor of a Minneapolis Coroner and a Catholic Priest: The Boelter Family & Mortuary Science
Julie Bosman , Kevin Draper , Adam Goldman , Bernard Mokam and Jay Senter contributed reporting. Both Jack Begg and Kitty Bennett were involved in research.
Mr. Carlson read a text message that he had received from Mr. Boelter early on Saturday morning, in which he wrote that he might be dead soon. Mr. Carlson said there was no information in the message about the attacks.
Tax forms show that Mr. Boelter and his wife used to be leaders of a Christian nonprofit. The group’s website depicted Mr. Boelter as an ordination minister in 1993.
It was not clear when the video was uploaded, but Mr. Boelter said he worked six days a week for two funeral homes in the Minneapolis area. At one, he said, he sometimes helped to remove bodies from crime scenes and would work with police officers and death investigators.
A spokesman for Des Moines Area Community College, in Iowa, said Mr. Boelter took classes in the school’s mortuary science program, an online program, in 2023 and 2024.
On Friday, Mr. Boelter had given Mr. Carlson four months’ worth of advance rent payments — which was about $220 a month — for a small room in the shared house. Mr. Carlson left him alone because he said he needed some rest.