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.