Suspect in Minnesota Shooting Linked to Security Company, Evangelical Ministry

A man named Vance Boelter allegedly changeable and killed Melissa Hortman, a Democratic Minnesota authorities representative, and her hubby Mark Hortman astatine their location astatine immoderate constituent early Saturday greeting while, according to rule enforcement, impersonating a constabulary officer. He besides allegedly changeable authorities legislator John Hoffman and his woman Yvette Hoffman astatine their home. They are alive, but stay successful captious condition.

Law enforcement has said they recovered a manifesto and hit list successful nan alleged suspect’s car, which included politicians, abortion providers, and pro-abortion authorities advocates. There were besides allegedly fliers successful his car for nan “No Kings” protestation against President Donald Trump, which took spot successful cities crossed nan US connected Saturday.

The 57-year-old, who has been identified arsenic nan suspected shooter by rule enforcement, runs an equipped information work pinch his wife, and has been affiliated pinch astatine slightest 1 evangelical organization, a ministry he has besides tally pinch his wife, according to a taxation filing reviewed by WIRED. (His woman could not beryllium instantly reached for comment.) According to nationalist records and archived websites reviewed by WIRED, nan fishy served for a clip arsenic nan president of Revoformation Ministries. A type of nan ministry’s website captured successful 2011 carries a curriculum vitae successful which he is said to person been ordained successful 1993.

According to an archived website for nan ministry reviewed by WIRED, nan suspected shooter’s missionary activity took him to Gaza and nan West Bank during nan Second Intifada, where, nan website states, he “sought retired militant Islamists successful bid to stock nan gospel and show them that unit wasn't nan answer.”

A later type of nan tract was designed, according to an archived copy, by Israeli web creation patient J-Town. Charlie Kalech, CEO of J-Town, tells WIRED that nan alleged fishy was, successful his recollection, “clearly belief and evangelistic. He had tons of ideas to make nan world a amended place.” The suspect, whom Kalech said was “nothing but bully to me,” commissioned J-Town, Kalech recalled, because they’re Jerusalem-based, and he said he wanted to support Israel.

Over nan erstwhile respective years, according to LinkedIn posts, he was besides nan CEO of Red Lion Group, which according to an archived transcript of its website had aspirations successful nan lipid refining, logging, and solid accumulation sectors successful nan Democratic Republic of nan Congo.

In a 2023 sermon reviewed by WIRED and delivered by nan alleged shooter successful Matadi, a metropolis successful nan Democratic Republic of Congo that is connected nan separator pinch Angola, he preached against abortion and called for different Christian churches to go “one.”

“They don't cognize abortion is wrong, galore churches,” he said. “They don't person nan gifts flowing. God gives nan assemblage gifts. To support balance. Because erstwhile nan assemblage starts moving successful nan incorrect direction, erstwhile they're one, and accepting nan gifts, God will raise an apostle aliases prophet to correct their course.”

”God is going to raise up apostles and prophets successful America,” he added, “to correct His church.”