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
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subject’s vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.