The status of the wife of suspected Minnesota political assassin Vance Boelter remains unclear after she was detained and questioned when police reportedly found a weapon, ammunition, and passports in her car during a traffic stop Saturday morning.
St. Paul station KSTP first reported the traffic stop, which a witness said involved a dozen police officers who converged on Jenny Boelter’s vehicle near Onamia, Minnesota, and remained on the scene for three hours.
Boelter reportedly was traveling with several relatives at the time of the stop.
As of Sunday, husband Vance Boelter remained at large and was considered “armed and dangerous.”
It’s not known whether the Boelters still lived with one another as Vance Boelter lived in Camden, Minnesota, some 80 miles away, the New York Post reported.
That residence was raided by a SWAT team Saturday afternoon following Vance’s alleged killing in the early morning hours of a Democrat state representative and her husband and the shooting and wounding a Democrat state senator and his wife in what authorities called a “politically motivated” act of violence.
Police said they found in Boelter’s abandoned car a hit list of Minnesota officials penned by the 57-year-old security specialist, who they say posed as a policeman during the attacks.
Boelter remains at large and is the subject of an intense manhunt. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
The suspect’s motive for shooting those specific lawmakers has not been established. However, CNN reported those named in the hit list are mostly Democrats or figures with ties to abortion rights, including Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith.
Jenny and Vance Boelter previously ran the company Praetorian Guard Security, according to the New York Post. The company’s website still offers an extensive biography of Vance, stating:
Dr. Vance Boelter has been involved with security situations in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, including the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. He brings a great security aspect forged by both many on the ground experiences combined with training by both private security firms and by people in the U.S. Military. He has worked for the largest U.S. oil refining company, the world’s largest food company based in Switzerland and the world’s largest convenience retailer based in Japan.
Jenny Boelter was listed as the President and CEO of the company.
Her bio stated she “brings years of organizational operations and logistical oversight to the team. She has served and continues to serve on numerous boards and has helped organizations reach world class effectiveness.”
Boelter, police said, wore a realistic latex mask during the attacks.
Democratic State Representative Hortman, a former speaker of the House, and her husband Mark were killed at their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park.
State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot and wounded at their home in nearby Champlin. They have undergone surgery.
Police reported Boelter exchanged gunfire with officers as he emerged from the Hortman residence after police showed up to check on the lawmaker’s welfare. Boelter then fled on foot into the night.
President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have weighed in on the shootings and promised justice, with the president saying, “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America.”
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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