A lifelong friend of the alleged Minnesota gunman says Vance Boelter had been struggling to find work and was wrestling with a “darkness that was inside of him” at the time of the shootings.

Vance Boelter, accused of shooting two politicians and their spouses, appears to have associated with Christian nationalist institutions

The suspect remains at large while hundreds of law enforcement officers from multiple agencies conduct an intensive manhunt.

Early Saturday morning, when a man dressed like a police officer knocked at the home of a Minnesota state legislator, marked the start of nearly 40 hours of violence and fear that swept through towns in an arc around Minneapolis.

Authorities say Boelter also shot state Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, injuring them at their residence about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away. Federal prosecutors charged Boelter with murder and stalking, which could result in a death sentence if convicted. His lead attorney has declined to comment.

The gunman who killed a Democratic state lawmaker and injured another in Minnesota was apprehended late on Sunday night, a reporter for a ABC affiliate posted on X. (Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Tom Hogue) Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

Authorities are searching for a man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers. Authorities have identified him as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, of Green Isle.