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The police vehicles used by accused Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter before, during, and after the deadly shooting spree in June were originally operated by law enforcement agencies in Minnesota and Wisconsin, Blaze Media has exclusively learned.
The 2015 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor SUV that Boelter allegedly used to visit four homes in the predawn hours of June 14 with the alleged intention of killing Democrat lawmakers was originally owned by the Osceola Police Department in Polk County, Wis. Osceola is about 50 miles northeast of Minneapolis.
The New Hope officer thought the vehicle was a police car. ... That confusion seems understandable since the vehicle was a decommissioned police car from Osceola, Wis.
According to title records reviewed by Blaze Media, the Boelters purchased the Ford SUV on May 14, 2019. According to the FBI, Vance Boelter parked the police cruiser in the driveway of the home of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) before assassinating her and her husband.
The FBI said Boelter left the vehicle running in the driveway, with its emergency light bar engaged, while he rang the doorbell of the Hortman home and shouted, “Police! Welfare check!”
Boelter was allegedly wearing a police uniform and a disguise, including a silicone mask and wig, the FBI said. After engaging in brief discussion with Mark Hortman, Boelter saw Brooklyn Park Police Department squad cars arriving and opened fire on Hortman, the FBI said.
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Police prepare to haul away the 2018 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor SUV owned by Vance Luther Boelter and abandoned in an alley in north Minneapolis on June 14, 2025. It is one of three retired law enforcement vehicles owned by Boelter and his wife, title records show. This unit was once owned by the Lakeville Police Department.Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Boelter allegedly shot at the Brooklyn Park officers, forced his way inside the home, and gunned down Melissa Hortman as she tried to run up the stairs, the FBI said.
Boelter is charged with six federal criminal counts, including the stalking and murder of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the stalking and shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) and his wife, Yvette, and the attempted murder of the Hoffmans’ daughter, Hope. He could face the death penalty.
Boelter, who will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on Aug. 7, also faces second-degree murder and attempted murder charges in Hennepin County District Court.
On his previous stop of the night of June 14, Boelter allegedly parked his SUV at the curb about a block from the home of state Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope). A New Hope police officer pulled alongside and tried to get Boelter’s attention, but he kept staring straight ahead, the FBI said.
The New Hope officer thought the vehicle was a police car parked in the location to guard the senator’s home. That confusion seems understandable since the vehicle was a decommissioned police car from Osceola, Wis., according to records reviewed by Blaze Media.
The 2015 SUV had been purchased for the Boelters’ Praetorian Guard Security Services company that never got off the ground. The company was founded in September 2018 but never took on any clients.
According to title records, the Boelters purchased three other retired police vehicles for use in their security business.
RELATED: Suspected Minnesota assassin claims he was part of a 2-year undercover investigation
Security video shows a disguised Vance Boelter at the front door of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman on June 14, 2025, according to the FBI. The emergency lights on Boelter’s 2015 Force Explorer Police Interceptor are visible in the background. Photo by U.S. Department of Justice
They purchased two other Ford Explorer Police Interceptor SUVs, model years 2018 and 2013. Those were originally operated by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Black River Falls, Wis., and the Lakeville Police Department in Dakota County, Minn.
In December 2014, the Boelters purchased a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor sedan originally owned by the St. Louis Park Police Department in Hennepin County, Minn., records show. The Boelters disposed of that vehicle in September 2017.
One of the other police SUVs owned by the Boelters was found in the alley behind a home in north Minneapolis where Vance Boelter rented a room. He was seen on video breaking the window of the SUV several hours after the shootings and just before he went on the lam. Police hauled that vehicle away later on June 14.
Ford has manufactured and marketed specially outfitted vehicles for law enforcement since the 1950s.
The Police Interceptor line was introduced in 1992. According to Ford, the 2025 Police Interceptor model has advanced sensors, such as a perimeter alert that rolls up windows and locks the doors if it senses an approaching threat.
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