What we know about Vance Luther Boelter, the private security expert and main suspect in the shooting of Minnesota lawmakers

Vance Luther Boelter is a private security expert. A person who claimed to be a friend told reporters that Boelter had been feeling depressed and unhappy with his job but had never shown any signs of being violent.

Minnesota authorities arrested Vance Luther Boelter as the prime suspect in the shooting of local lawmakers, ending a manhunt that lasted nearly two days. Boelter had evaded capture early last Saturday morning.

According to authorities, Boelter posed as a police officer to enter the home of Melissa Hortman, a 55-year-old Democratic state lawmaker and former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, in a Minneapolis suburb. Both Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot.

Boelter is also considered a suspect in the armed attack on State Senator John Hoffman, 60, and his wife, Yvette, at their home.

Boelter's work history appears scattered. According to records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, he worked in food, retail and grazing industries.

It was also reported that Boelter lives with his wife in a rural area outside Minneapolis-Saint Paul, but spends a few nights each week in a rented home in a working-class Minneapolis neighborhood, where he shares the living space with some co-workers.

"Boelter was working overnight shifts for an organization that handles eye donations, said one roommate, David Carlson, and was trying to get a security company off the ground," the Wall Street Journal reported.

David Carlson noted that Boelter holds conservative political views on issues like abortion and the LGBT community. On Praetorian Guard Security Services’ website, Boelter is listed as a member of the management team and promotes residential security services featuring armed personnel and the use of police-style vehicles.

Additionally, The Wall Street Journal reported that state records confirm Boelter was previously appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board—first by former Democratic Governor Mark Dayton, and later by current Democratic Governor Tim Walz.

Boelter’s biography on the Praetorian Guard Security Services website describes him as having extensive experience in the security field.