MINNEAPOLIS (BN24) — The man accused of carrying out a deadly politically motivated shooting in Minnesota sent a chilling farewell message to close friends just hours before the rampage that killed two people and left two others wounded, including two state lawmakers.
Vance Boelter, 57, allegedly texted a final note to his best friend and roommate in the early hours of Saturday morning, shortly before authorities say he posed as a police officer and opened fire at the homes of Minnesota State Assemblywoman Melissa Hortman and State Senator John Hoffman.
“David and Ron, I love you guys,” Boelter wrote in a message first disclosed by his roommate. “I made some choices, and you guys don’t know anything about this, but I’m going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you both and I wish it hadn’t gone this way.”
The message ended with an apology for “all the trouble this has caused” and a refusal to elaborate, saying he didn’t want to implicate his friends.
Alarmed by the message, Boelter’s roommate, David Carlson, contacted police, fearing that his friend may have taken his own life. “He wasn’t a hateful person. But he needed help,” Carlson told reporters Sunday, expressing disbelief that Boelter could be behind the attack.
Carlson said Boelter had struggled financially and emotionally, cycling through failed business ventures, including one in private security. He noted Boelter’s growing disillusionment with politics and society, adding that the suspect had previously served in a state government role under Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, but had since shifted to support President Donald Trump and adopted strong anti-abortion views.
Despite his political leanings, Carlson said Boelter had never expressed violent intent. “Those views didn’t define him,” he said. “Something clearly broke.”
According to officials, Boelter dressed as a police officer and drove a vehicle resembling a law enforcement cruiser when he appeared at the homes of the two lawmakers on Saturday. He allegedly shot Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, killing both. At the Hoffman residence, Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times. Both survived and underwent surgery.
Authorities have not disclosed a full motive, but investigators believe the attack was politically driven. Boelter is in custody, and charges are expected.
The attack has sent shockwaves through Minnesota and the broader political community, renewing concerns about the safety of elected officials amid escalating threats and violence.
TMZ
