Crime
Suspect in shooting Minnesota state lawmakers identified as Vance Luther Boelter
Authorities have identified the suspect in the overnight shootings of two Minnesota state lawmakers as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter.
Law enforcement sources informed reporter Julio Rosas that Boelter appears to be the same individual who was appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Council in 2016 by then-Governor Mark Dayton and reappointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board in 2019 by current Governor Tim Walz.
The shootings, which took place in the early morning hours of Saturday, left Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, dead, and State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, critically injured. The suspect remains at large, and a large-scale manhunt is currently underway.
The first attack occurred shortly after 2:00 a.m. at the Champlin residence of State Senator John Hoffman, a Democrat who has served in the Minnesota Senate since 2013. Senator Hoffman sustained at least two gunshot wounds, while his wife Yvette was struck three times. Both were transported to a local hospital and are receiving medical treatment.
In light of the shooting, officers were dispatched to the home of Representative Melissa Hortman, located just a few miles south in Brooklyn Park near the Edinburgh Golf Course. Representative Hortman, who had served in the Minnesota House since 2005 and was the current Democratic leader, and her husband Mark were found critically injured at the scene. Despite emergency life-saving efforts, both were pronounced dead.
According to a statement from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect was dressed as a law enforcement officer and was operating a vehicle made to resemble a police cruiser. Authorities also recovered a manifesto and a list of targeted names from inside the vehicle. No motive has been disclosed at this time.
In response to the attacks, a shelter-in-place order has been issued for residents within a three-mile radius of the Edinburgh Golf Course. Law enforcement officials have urged the public not to approach the suspect, who is considered armed and dangerous.
Due to the suspect’s use of a police disguise, authorities are advising residents to exercise extreme caution. “If a police officer knocks on your door, call 911 to confirm their identity before opening,” the sheriff’s office advised. Licensed officers currently deployed in the area are working in pairs to help distinguish legitimate law enforcement from impersonators.
The investigation is ongoing, and federal, state, and local agencies are actively participating in the search. Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.