SIBLEY COUNTY, MN (LOOTPRESS) — Law enforcement officials have located a vehicle believed to belong to Vance Boelter, the suspect in a series of targeted shootings involving two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses.
An emergency alert was issued Sunday morning to residents of Sibley County after the vehicle was discovered near Minnesota Highway 25 and 301st Avenue in Faxon Township. Authorities urged residents to lock their doors and secure their vehicles, noting that officers would be canvassing nearby homes and requesting permission to search properties.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Minnesota State Patrol and U.S. Marshals Service, responded to the scene. A discarded cowboy hat was found nearby, roughly 60 miles southwest of the original crime scenes.
The shootings occurred early Saturday morning. Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were found fatally shot in their Brooklyn Park home. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also attacked at their Champlin residence, about five miles away. Both were wounded but survived.
Governor Tim Walz confirmed the attacks were politically motivated. Boelter, 57, has been identified as the suspect and is considered armed and dangerous. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
A vehicle believed to be Boelter’s was found outside Hortman’s home and reportedly contained a list of potential targets and materials related to Saturday’s “No Kings” protest.
Boelter has a known address in rural Sibley County near Green Isle but was most recently living in north Minneapolis, according to authorities.
The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed that Boelter’s wife and several relatives were in a vehicle that was pulled over in Onamia on Saturday. However, the occupants were not searched or questioned during the stop.
The investigation remains ongoing.
