Crime
Vance Boelter Impersonated Police, Stockpiled Gear, and Stalked Lawmakers for Days Ahead of Deadly Attacks
Federal authorities say Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of fatally shooting Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and wounding Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, spent days meticulously planning the attacks, including purchasing gear to impersonate a law enforcement officer.
According to newly unsealed federal charging documents, Boelter visited a Fleet Farm store in north Minneapolis five days before the shootings and purchased a tactical rifle case, multiple types of ammunition, a flashlight, and materials believed to have been used to create a counterfeit “POLICE” license plate.
The FBI said the items were recovered at a residence Boelter used part-time.
Investigators believe Boelter’s disguise was so convincing that he managed to evade immediate detection by law enforcement.
Notably, after the shooting at Sen. Hoffman’s residence, Boelter drove to another elected official’s home in New Hope.
There, a local officer—mistaking him for a legitimate member of a security detail—approached Boelter’s SUV. Boelter reportedly ignored the officer and fled the scene.
Authorities also uncovered a series of disturbing text messages Boelter allegedly sent to family members following the attacks.
In one message sent to a family group chat, he wrote:
“Dad went to war last night … I don’t wanna say more because I don’t wanna implicate anybody.”
In another, he warned his family of the danger his actions might bring to them:
“There’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around.”
His wife later consented to a search of their vehicle, where law enforcement recovered two handguns, passports, and approximately $10,000 in cash.
Federal investigators say Boelter kept extensive handwritten notes documenting surveillance efforts, target lists, and the personal information of elected officials.
While no explicit manifesto has been discovered, Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson noted that all of the identified targets were Democratic elected officials.
“It’s pretty clear from the evidence that he’s been planning these attacks for quite some time,” Thompson said.
“They were all elected officials. They were all Democrats. Beyond that, I think it’s just way too speculative right now to draw conclusions about political ideology or a specific motive.”
Boelter, 57, now faces federal charges including two counts of murder with a firearm, interstate stalking, and other felonies.
He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and is scheduled to appear in federal court on June 27.
Crime
Attorneys Argue Jacob Bard Actions in Deadly Kentucky State University Shooting Were Legally Justified
Attorneys representing Jacob Bard, the man accused in a deadly shooting at Kentucky State University, contend that his actions were legally justified and undertaken in defense of his family amid what they describe as a violent and uncontrolled situation on campus.
In a press release issued Monday afternoon, Bard’s legal team from the Indiana-based law firm Danks & Danks asserted that Bard “was completely justified under the law in his use of deadly force.”
Bard is accused of fatally shooting one Kentucky State University student and wounding another during an incident at a campus dormitory.
According to the attorneys’ statement, Bard traveled to Kentucky State University after his younger son reported being attacked on multiple occasions.
The release alleges that on Monday, December 8, a group of approximately 20 to 30 individuals gathered outside the son’s dormitory, some allegedly armed, and began beating on the door. Campus police were reportedly called to respond to the disturbance.
The following morning, Bard and his wife met with Kentucky State University police. While the attorneys stated that officers appeared sincere in their efforts, they claimed it was evident to the family that campus police were “ill-prepared to deal with the out-of-control and violent environment.”
The legal team further alleges that both the university and its police department failed to adequately address what they described as multiple armed and violent felonies against Bard’s sons, ages 18 and 19, as well as other students in the days preceding the shooting.
Those alleged incidents included burglaries and armed assaults.
Later that morning, the family attended a meeting at Young Hall with campus police and a university dean.
According to the release, the meeting left the family convinced that the university would not be able to maintain a safe environment, prompting them to begin removing the son’s belongings from the dormitory.
When the family returned to the residence hall, the attorneys claim that individuals previously involved in the alleged assaults were present, despite assurances they would not be allowed inside.
The statement further alleges that those individuals photographed the family and made verbal threats.
The attorneys contend that, even with two armed Kentucky State University police officers present, a group of 20 to 30 individuals gathered in the dormitory lobby and “violently and viciously attacked” Bard’s son and family members.
According to the release, Bard’s son was slammed into the concrete floor and beaten by multiple people, and the officer on scene allegedly lost control of the situation.
“In the chaos,” the attorneys wrote, Bard attempted to pull attackers off his son but was struck himself. Believing his son to be in imminent danger of death or serious physical injury, Bard then drew his firearm and shot two individuals whom the attorneys say were actively assaulting his son.
The legal team also stated that no charges have been filed against others allegedly involved in the confrontation and claimed the Bard family has continued to receive death threats.
The release further alleges that the mother of the deceased student has publicly called for retaliation against Bard’s son and sought assistance from criminal groups—claims that have not been independently verified by authorities.
The case against Bard was presented to a grand jury on December 16.
During a previous court hearing, a detective testified that at least one video reviewed by investigators did not show the shooting victims assaulting Bard’s son.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not issued a final determination regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting.