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New York Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Federal grand jury indicts ‘Minny Maniac' accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman
A federal grand jury indicted a man Tuesday on charges that he fatally shot a prominent Minnesota state representative and her husband and seriously wounded a state senator and his wife while he was allegedly disguised as a police officer. The indictment handed up lists murder, stalking and firearms charges against Vance Boelter. The murder counts in the deaths of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, could carry the federal death penalty. 'This political assassination, the likes of which have never occurred here in the state of Minnesota, has shook our state at a foundational level,' acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said. 6 A picture shared on 15 June 2025 via social media by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office of the arrest of Vance Luther Boelter. HANDOUT/RAMSEY COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock He said a decision on whether to seek the death penalty 'will not come for several months' and will be up to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Minnesota abolished its state death penalty in 1911, but President Donald Trump's administration says it intends to be aggressive in seeking capital punishment for eligible federal crimes. Prosecutors initially charged Boelter with the same counts. But under federal court rules they needed a grand jury indictment to take the case to trial. Boelter's federal defender, Manny Atwal, did not immediately return messages seeking comment on the indictment and the new allegations. Political extremism as a motive Thompson also disclosed new details at a news conference. He said investigators had found a handwritten letter by Boelter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel in which he confessed to the shootings and made bizarre claims. 6 Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, Joe Thompson, speaks to reporters at a news conference on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Minneapolis. AP 'In the letter, Vance Boelter claims that he had been trained by the U.S. military off the books and he had conducted missions on behalf of the U.S. military in Asia, the Middle East and Africa,' Thompson said. Boelter also said in the letter that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had approached him about killing the state's two U.S. senators, fellow Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. Asked by a reporter if all that was a fantasy, Thompson replied: 'Yes, I agree.' 'There is little evidence showing why he turned to political violence and extremism,' Thompson said. 'What he left were lists: politicians in Minnesota, lists of politicians in other states, lists of names of attorneys at national law firms.' 6 This image provided by the FBI on Saturday, June 14, 2025, shows part of a poster with photos of Vance Boelter. FBI Friends have described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views who had been struggling to find work. At a hearing July 3, Boelter said he was 'looking forward to the facts about the 14th coming out.' In an interview published by the New York Post on Saturday, Boelter insisted the shootings had nothing to do with his opposition to abortion or his support for Trump, but he declined to discuss why he allegedly killed the Hortmans and wounded the Hoffmans. 'You are fishing and I can't talk about my case…I'll say it didn't involve either the Trump stuff or pro life,' Boelter wrote in a message to the newspaper via the jail's messaging system. 6 Minnesota Rep Melissa Hortman at the White House Christmas party 2024 with husband Mark. Melissa Hortman/Facebook Boelter also faces state murder and attempted murder charges in Hennepin County, but the federal case will go first. Other details of the case Prosecutors say Boelter, 57, who has lived in rural Sibley County south of Minneapolis, was driving a fake squad car, wearing a realistic rubber mask that covered his head and wearing tactical gear around 2 a.m. on June 14 when he went to the home of Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin. He allegedly shot the senator nine times, and Yvette Hoffman eight times, but they survived. Prosecutors allege he then stopped at the homes of two other lawmakers. One, in Maple Grove, wasn't home while a police officer may have scared him off from the second, in New Hope. Boelter then allegedly went to the Hortmans' home in nearby Brooklyn Park and killed both of them. Their dog was so gravely injured that he had to be euthanized. 6 In this handout provided by Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, Vance Luther Boelter poses for a booking photo on June 16, 2025 in Green Isle, Minnesota. Getty Images Brooklyn Park police, who had been alerted to the shootings of the Hoffmans, arrived at the Hortman home around 3:30 a.m., moments before the gunman opened fire on the couple, the complaint said. Boelter allegedly fled and left behind his car, which contained notebooks listing dozens of Democratic officials as potential targets with their home addresses, as well as five guns and a large quantity of ammunition. Law enforcement officers finally captured Boelter about 40 hours later, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from his rural home in Green Isle, after what authorities called the largest search for a suspect in Minnesota history. Remembering the victims 6 Minnesota Rep Melissa Hortman and husband Mark Hortman pictured in 2024. Mark Hortman/Facebook Sen. Hoffman is out of the hospital and is now at a rehabilitation facility, his family announced last week, adding he has a long road to recovery. Yvette Hoffman was released a few days after the attack. Former President Joe Biden visited the senator in the hospital when he was in town for the Hortmans' funeral. Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris joined mourners at the Hortmans' funeral June 28. Gov. Tim Walz, Harris's running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, eulogized Melissa Hortman as 'the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history.' Hortman led the House from 2019 until January and was a driving force as Democrats passed an ambitious list of liberal priorities in 2023. She yielded the speakership to a Republican in a power-sharing deal after the November elections left the House tied, and she took the title speaker emerita.
New York Post
10-07-2025
- New York Post
Massive haul of methamphetamine seized in one of Minnesota's ‘largest meth busts' ever
Two men were arrested on Monday after law enforcement seized nearly 900 pounds of suspected methamphetamine worth approximately $1.7 million — in what authorities are calling 'one of the largest meth busts in Minnesota history.' '[Nine hundred pounds] of meth seized during two traffic stops in Minnesota yesterday, in a hit targeting drug trafficking rings you'll hear about soon,' FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino wrote in a post on X on Tuesday. 'We're finding them and crushing their operations. More to come. Thanks to our [U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration] partners for the coordination.' Advertisement Two men, 46-year-old Joel Casas-Santiago and 44-year-old Guillermo Mercado Chaparro, are facing charges for their alleged involvement in the crime, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reported. Last week, an undercover police officer reportedly purchased meth from Chaparro, and authorities proceeded to secure a court order to track his pickup truck, FOX 9 reported, citing the criminal complaint. On Monday, police saw Chaparro put two bags into a Jeep parked near his pickup truck. Casas-Santiago reportedly entered the Jeep, and the two men drove off in their separate vehicles. 3 A pick-up truck bed is filled with 900 pounds of suspected methamphetamine worth approximately $1.7 million. Dan Bongino/X Advertisement 3 Two men, 46-year-old Joel Casas-Santiago and 44-year-old Guillermo Mercado Chaparro, are facing charges for their alleged involvement in the crime. Ramsey County Sheriff's Office/Facebook Police later found and searched the Jeep, at which point they discovered 251 pounds of suspected methamphetamine. Law enforcement then obtained a warrant for the pickup truck, where they discovered an additional 638 pounds of methamphetamine as well as a drug ledger, according to FOX 9. Chaparro allegedly admitted to being involved in drug trafficking, and investigators believe both men are linked to a larger drug organization that operates out of Mexico, FOX 9 reported. Advertisement 3 The suspected meth was seized and brought back to the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office for proper disposal. Dan Bongino/X Casas-Santiago has been charged with one count of first-degree sale of meth within a 90-day period, while Chaparro is facing two counts of first-degree sale of meth within a 90-day period. '… In Minneapolis, [Violent Crime Enforcement Teams] arrested two men and seized the massive drug load — possibly one of the largest meth busts in Minnesota history,' the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. 'Both suspects have been charged with controlled substance crimes.' Advertisement Bongino also took to X earlier this week with statistics he says demonstrate the FBI's heightened focus on violent crime and illegal immigration 'is working.' Over the last few months, the FBI has seized 22% more illicit drugs than in the same period last year, including more than 97,000 pounds of cocaine, over 7,000 pounds of meth and more than 2,500 pounds of fentanyl, he wrote. The FBI and the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Hindustan Times
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who is Vance Boelter? Everything we know about the Minnesota shooting suspect
Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of fatally shooting Democratic Minnesota State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman in the early hours of June 14, is now facing a slew of federal and state murder charges. Boelter also shot and seriously wounded Democratic State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, later that same night. A handout photo posted by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office appears to show Vance Luther Boelter, 57, the suspected gunman in the shooting deaths of a Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker and her husband, in custody, at an unidentified location, released June 15, 2025. (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via Facebook/Handout via REUTERS) Boelter graduated in the 1990s with a Diploma in Practical Theology in Leadership and Pastoral from Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas. After returning to Minnesota, he earned a degree from St. Cloud State University in 1996. He went on to work in the food service industry for companies like Gerber and 7-Eleven. In 2021, Boelter abruptly left his job and moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he began preaching sermons. Back in Minnesota, he worked at funeral homes to finance his travel and launched a number of ventures, including a security business and a fishing operation called 'Red Lion' in Congo. "I was more on the side of, 'Hey buddy, this doesn't sound right, it's irresponsible to quit your job and now you're burning your cash,'" an acquaintance told CNN. 'It just made no sense to me.' Family and "prepper" lifestyle Boelter lived with his wife Jenny Boelter, their five children, and two German shepherds. During the manhunt, Jenny was pulled over during a traffic stop but was not detained "My office assisted law enforcement from Hennepin County on a stop near a convenience store in the city of Onamia. Our role on this stop was perimeter. We did not search or question any of the occupants," Kyle Burton, Mille Lacs County Sheriff, told FOX 9. "I was told by my staff who responded that the shooting suspect's wife was in the car along with several other relatives." According to a newly unsealed FBI affidavit, Boelter and his wife were described as "preppers," a term that refers to people who actively prepare for apocalyptic or catastrophic events by stockpiling supplies and weapons. Rambling letter and hit list The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Boelter wrote an incoherent letter to the FBI, claiming that Governor Tim Walz had ordered him to assassinate Senator Amy Klobuchar as part of a supposed conspiracy to take her Senate seat. There is no evidence supporting this claim. Authorities also found a manifesto with a 'target list' of about 70 Democratic lawmakers, including Walz, Klobuchar, and Sen. Tina Smith. Federal Charges (Filed in U.S. District Court, Minnesota) Boelter faces six federal charges, including: Stalking (Rep. Melissa Hortman) – Max: Life in prison Stalking (Sen. John Hoffman) – Max: Life in prison Murder with a firearm (Rep. Melissa Hortman) – Max: Life or death penalty Murder with a firearm (Mark Hortman) – Max: Life or death penalty Firearms offense (Sen. John Hoffman shooting) – Max: unspecified, typically severe Firearms offense (Yvette Hoffman shooting) – Max: unspecified, typically severe State Charges (Filed in Hennepin County Court) Boelter also faces four state-level charges: Second-degree murder (Melissa Hortman) – Up to 40 years in prison Second-degree murder (Mark Hortman) – Up to 40 years in prison Second-degree attempted murder (Sen. John Hoffman) – Up to 40 years in prison Second-degree attempted murder (Yvette Hoffman) – Up to 40 years in prison
Straits Times
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Two days of terror: How the Minnesota shooter evaded police and got caught
FILE PHOTO: A handout photo posted by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office appears to show Vance Luther Boelter, 57, the suspected gunman in the shooting deaths of a Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker and her husband, in custody, at an unidentified location, released June 15, 2025. Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via Facebook/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Two days of terror: How the Minnesota shooter evaded police and got caught NEW HOPE, Minnesota - Vance Boelter's disguise wasn't perfect. The silicone mask was somewhat loose-fitting and his SUV's license plate simply read "POLICE" in black letters. But it was good enough on a poorly lit suburban street in the dead of night. At 2:36 a.m. on Saturday, 30 minutes after authorities say Boelter shot and seriously injured Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, he paused behind the wheel of the SUV near the home of another senator, Ann Rest, in the city of New Hope. The SUV was stocked with weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles, as well as fliers advertising a local anti-Trump rally scheduled for later Saturday and a written list of names of people he appeared to be targeting. Senator Rest, prosecutors would later say, was among those Boelter set out to kill on June 14. As Boelter sat in the SUV down the street from Rest's home, another police car - this one an actual police car - approached. A female officer from the New Hope police department, after hearing about the Hoffman shootings, had come out to check on Rest. Seeing the SUV, complete with flashing lights and police-style decals, she believed the man inside was a fellow officer. But when she attempted to speak to him - one officer greeting another - she got no response. Instead, the man inside the SUV with police markings simply stared ahead. The New Hope officer drove on, deciding to go ahead and check on Rest. Rest would later say the New Hope officer's initiative probably saved her life, an opinion shared by New Hope Police Chief Timothy Hoyt. "With limited information, she went up there on her own to check on the welfare of our senator," Hoyt told Reuters. "She did the right thing." The brief interaction in New Hope underscored the carefully planned nature of Boelter's pre-dawn rampage and how his impersonation of a police officer, including body armor, a badge and a tactical vest, confounded the initial attempts to stop him. After the encounter with the New Hope officer, Boelter, 57, drove away from the scene, moving on to his next target. Police would pursue him for another 43 hours. In the process, they would draw in a phalanx of state and federal agencies, in what ranks as the largest manhunt in Minnesota history and added to the sense of disorientation in a nation already grappling with protests over immigration, the forcible removal of a U.S. Senator from a press conference and a rare military parade in Washington. Federal prosecutors say they may seek the death penalty for Boelter, who has been charged with murdering two people and trying to kill two others, in what Governor Tim Walz has called a "politically motivated" attack. Prosecutors said they are still investigating the motive and whether any others were involved. Boelter has yet to enter a plea. Manny Atwal, a public defender representing Boelter, said he was reviewing the case and declined to comment. This reconstruction of the manhunt is based on court documents, statements by law enforcement officials, and interviews with a Boelter friend, local police officers, lawmakers, and residents of the impacted neighborhoods. While the events unfolded like something out of a TV crime drama, there were parallels with past shooting sprees, criminal justice experts said. James Fitzgerald, a former FBI criminal profiler, said he would not be surprised if Boelter studied a mass shooting in Canada in 2020, when a gunman posing as a police officer killed 22 people in the province of Nova Scotia. "These guys always do research beforehand. They want to see how other killers were successful, how they got caught," said Fitzgerald, who helped the FBI capture the "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski in 1996. "And, of course, a way you're going to buy yourself some time is to pose as a police officer." HOFFMAN SHOOTING The violence began at the Hoffman's brick split-level home in Champlin, a leafy, middle-class suburb of Minneapolis. With his emergency lights flashing, Boelter pulled into the driveway just after 2:00 a.m. and knocked on the door. "This is the police. Open the door," Boelter shouted repeatedly, according to an FBI affidavit. Senator Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, soon determined Boelter was not a real police officer. Boelter shot Senator Hoffman nine times, and then fired on Yvette, who shielded her daughter from being hit. As Boelter fled the scene, the daughter called 911. The Hoffmans were on a target list of more than 45 federal and state elected officials in Minnesota, all Democrats, acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson told a briefing on Monday. Boelter voted for President Donald Trump, was a Christian and did not like abortion, according to his part-time roommate, David Carlson. Carlson said Boelter did not seem angry about politics. Thompson said Boelter "stalked his victims like prey" but that the writings he left behind did not point to a coherent motive. "His crimes are the stuff of nightmares," he said. "His crimes are the stuff of nightmares," Thompson said. After the Hoffman's, the next address plugged into Boelter's GPS system was a lawmaker about 9 miles away in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove. Surveillance cameras from the home of State Representative Kristin Bahner show a masked Boelter ringing the doorbell at 2:24 a.m. and shouting "Open the door. This is the police. We have a warrant," the FBI affidavit says. Bahner and her family were not at home. From there, Boelter moved on to New Hope and the close encounter with the officer who had dispatched to Rest's home. After that, he wasn't seen by police again until he arrived at the residence of Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the state House, in Brooklyn Park. Sensing that Hortman might be a target, Brooklyn Park police officers had decided to check on her. When they arrived at 3:30 a.m. they saw a black Ford Explorer outside her house, its police-style lights flashing. Boelter was near the front door. When Boelter saw the officers exit their squad car, he fired at them. He then ran through the front door on the house, where he killed Melissa and Mark Hortman, her husband. 'DAD WENT TO WAR' When Boelter left the Hortman's home, he abandoned his fake-police SUV. Inside the car, police found a 9mm handgun, three AK-47 assault rifles, fliers advertising a local anti-Trump "No Kings" rally and a notebook with names of people who appear to have been targets, according to court documents. From that point, Boelter was on the run. Little has been revealed about his movements during the period, although police say he visited his part-time residence in north Minneapolis. He also sent texts. In one, to his family's group chat, Boelter writes, "Dad went to war last night". In another, to a close friend, Boelter says he may be dead soon. Police also know that by early morning on Saturday Boelter had met a man at a Minneapolis bus stop who agreed to sell him an e-bike and a Buick sedan for $900. The two drove to a bank where Boelter withdrew $2,200 from his account. A security camera shows Boelter wearing a cowboy hat. But it took until 10:00 a.m. on Sunday for authorities to close in. Police searching the area near Boelter's family home in the rural community of Green Isle, discovered the abandoned Buick, along with a cowboy hat and handwritten letter to the FBI in which Boelter admitted to the shootings, prosecutors said. Law enforcement scrambled to set up a perimeter surrounding the area, SWAT teams and search dogs were deployed, and drones were put in the air. It was the trail camera of a resident, however, that provided the final clue, capturing an image of Boelter around 7:00 p.m., allowing officers to narrow their search. Two hours later, the pursuit ended with Boelter crawling to police. He was armed but surrendered without a fight. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Province
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Province
Minnesota man accused of political killings had 'darkness inside of him,' pal says
Published Jun 17, 2025 • 4 minute read This photo made available by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office shows Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, as he was arrested late Sunday, June 15, 2025. Photo by Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via AP Hours after the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers over the weekend, authorities asked David Carlson to identify his lifelong friend in a harrowing photograph. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Carlson says he had known and trusted Vance Boelter from the time the two played together as children. But he barely recognized the 57-year-old in the surveillance image police showed him of Boelter wearing a flesh-colored mask as he carried out what authorities described as a political rampage. 'The guy with the mask, I don't know that guy,' Carlson said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, recounting his decades-long friendship with a man he likened to a brother. Boelter's involvement in such an attack, he said, was as surprising to him as 'getting struck by lightning. 'There was a darkness that was inside of him,' Carlson said. 'He must have kept it hidden.' As authorities piece together Boelter's movements and motivations, Carlson and others are conducting their own inventory of their interactions with the conservative evangelical pastor, wondering whether they missed any red flags. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Boelter is a married father of five but often stayed at Carlson's home in Minneapolis to shorten his commute to work. In hindsight, Carlson said, Boelter 'was a sick man' and needed help, even if those around him didn't realize it in time. Read More Law enforcement has cautioned the motive could be more complex than pundits might prefer, even as Boelter's own disjointed writings suggest he was hell-bent on targeting Democrats. Boelter has been charged with federal murder and stalking, along with state counts, in the fatal shootings of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. He is also accused of wounding Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At the time of the shootings, Carlson said Boelter had been struggling to find work and was 'disappointed' he wasn't hearing back from people. In February, Boelter abruptly quit his job delivering bodies from assisted living facilities to a funeral home and returned for several weeks to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he had founded several companies focused on farming and fishing. 'I thought it was a mistake for him to quit his job,' Carlson said. 'I didn't think he was going to get anywhere with the Congo.' But the life change was in keeping with Boelter's impetuous 'mentality to always go to the extreme,' Carlson said, recalling a time in the 1990s when Boelter was captured by security forces after sneaking into Gaza to preach Christianity on a trip to Israel. 'That's how crazy Vance is,' Carlson said. 'He wasn't supposed to be there.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Years earlier, after becoming a Christian, Boelter 'burned all of his belongings,' Carlson said, including karate and martial arts weapons and anything else that distracted from his religion. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Boelter graduated in 1990 from an interdenominational Bible college in Dallas, earning a diploma in practical theology in leadership. The Christ for the Nations Institute said in a statement it was 'aghast and horrified' to learn the suspect was among its alumni, saying 'this is not who we are.' The church Boelter attended outside Minneapolis has not responded to emails from AP but issued a similar statement condemning the shootings as 'the opposite of what Jesus taught his followers to do.' Boelter, who worked as a security contractor, offered a glimpse of his opposition to abortion in a 2023 sermon he gave in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, saying 'they don't know abortion is wrong in many churches. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'He wasn't a radical cultist,' Carlson said. 'He was just a regular Christian and kind of outspoken.' Boelter was unrestrained when it came to his distaste for Democrats, Carlson said, but that rhetoric never seemed threatening. Carlson and another friend, Paul Schroeder, told AP they never heard Boelter talk about abortion or any of the officials who were targeted. The FBI said Boelter 'made lists containing the names and home addresses of many Minnesota public officials, mostly or all Democrats.' 'It wasn't like, 'We gotta stop them, man,'' Carlson said. 'But it chills me to think he was in his room writing that stuff in my house.' Boelter would go to a shooting range occasionally but was not fanatical about firearms, another friend, Paul Shroeder said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I thought he was just collecting them for self-defence,' Carlson said. 'It was 1,000 miles away from stalking people and killing them.' Carlson said he awoke Saturday to an alarming text message from Boelter, who warned he was 'going to be gone for a while,' and 'may be dead shortly.' Carlson initially thought his friend was suicidal and went to check his room. He said he was so concerned he called police, who 'at first didn't seem too interested' before quickly connecting the messages to the shootings. 'Why throw your whole life away? God, he's so stupid,' Carlson said. 'He had everything.' — Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell'Orto in Minneapolis and Michael Biesecker in Washington contributed to this report. Vancouver Canucks Sports Local News Vancouver Canucks BC Lions
