FBI: Minnesota suspect a 'prepper'
Wife says Boelter had made doomsday plans
By: Michael Loria
USA Today
..... The man suspected for killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband in a brazen attack while dressed as a police officer is a doomsday "prepper" who set aside passports, guns and hordes of cash in the event of a catastrophe, newly unsealed federal court documents show.
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Vance Boelter's wife relayed the doomsday plans after she was interviewed by police during a manhunt for Boelter after authorities say he shot four people on June 14, [2025] according to the complaint field in U.S. District court in Minnesota.
..... "During an interview, Boelter's wife identified that she had recently received a group text message from Boelter in a group text thread with their kids,: FBI agent Terry Getch wrote. "The text stated something to the effect of they should prepare for war, they needed to get out of the house and people with guns may be showing up to the house."
..... Law enforcement stopped Boelter's wife while she was traveling with her four children it visit friends northwest of the metro area, the federal complaint said. In the car, officers found a safe, all of the children's passports as well as Boelter's, about $10,000 in cash, a revolver pistol in the glove compartment and a semiautomatic pistol in a cooler, the FBI says in the complaint.
..... Boelter, 57, is accused of killing state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and seriously wounding state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
..... The new information about Boelter and his family comes nearly a week after the attack that investigators say Boelter "extensively researched" and planned. He compiled a list of mostly Democratic state lawmakers and their addresses; he fitted his SUV with lights and a fake license plate to resemble a police squad car; and he purchased a silicone mask and a chache of weapons, according to a 20-page affidavit filed in federal court.
..... Details about what Boelter's wife was carrying come after federal investigation revealed that Boelter sent multiple texts to her and the children hours after the shootings.
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In a group chat, he sent the following message at 6:18 AM,: "Dad went to war last night ... I don;t wanna say more because I don't wanna implicate anybody."
..... Around the same time, his wife received a separate message from Boelter, "Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation ... there's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around."
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Boelter was arrested late June 15 [2025] following the largest manhunt in Minnesota state history, authorities said. Federal prosecutors charged him with several counts of murder and stalking.
..... Minnesota authorities say they believe Boelter impersonated law enforcement OT gain access to the victims' homes, exchanged gunfire with police and fled on foot outside Minneapolis.
..... Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called Hortman's killing a "politically motivated assassination."
'Security situation'
.... At various times, Boelter has claimed to work in the food service industry. In other moments, he;s claimed he runs large firms involved with "security situations" overseas, including Africa, eastern Europe and the Middle East.
..... The recently unsealed court filings said Boelter worked at Red Lion, a "security company and fishing outfit in Congo, Africa."
..... On LinkedIn, Boelter called himself CEO of Red Lion, according to reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA Today Network, though the Red Lion website linked to his LinkedIn profile was down and Boelter said he was open to work.
..... He also appears as a speaker for a Minnesota nonprofit serving African immigrant communities. Minnesota Africans United, a nonprofit said in a statement that Boelter participated in an August 2022 virtual webinar about trade and investment t in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
..... Boelter's participation as a speaker was facilitated by a third party, the statement said. He was never hired, paid or contracted by the nonprofit, which had no contact with him since the one-time appearance.
..... A biography for the session described Boelter as having worked in Congo and for a security guard company.
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USA Today previously reported that a LinkedIn page believed to being to Boelter showed he attended St. Cloud State University. University spokesperson Zach Dwyeer confirmed Boelter graduated in 1996.
Childhood friends calls police
..... David Carlson, 59, told Reuters that he has been sharing a house in Minneapolis with Boelter for a little more than a year and last saw him the night of June 13. [2205] At about 6 AM. on June 145, [2025] he received a text from Boelter.
..... "He said that he might be dead soon," said Carlson, who called police.
..... Carlson, who has known Boelter since fourth grade, said Boelter worked for an eye donation center and stayed at the house because it was close to his job.
..... Federal authorizes said the Boelter family home was in Green Isle, Minnesota, about 1 mile from where he was captured. The city of around 600 people is about an hour southwest of Minneapolis. Green Isle Mayor Shane Sheets said Boelter had no known political involvement or affiliation in the city.