Vance Boelter Posted on Social Media That He Was Red Lion Group CEO

Vance Boelter, named by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as the accused shooter of Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses, wrote on social media that he was the CEO of a company called "Red Lion Group."

On LinkedIn, Boelter also touted his experience on the "Governor's Workforce Development Board." He was appointed to that non-partisan board by Gov. Tim Walz, and former Gov. Mark Dayton, per the New York Post and a press release on the state website. His Facebook page appears to be deleted, but his LinkedIn page is active.

Boelter listed the website for Red Lion Group as "www.redliongroupdrc.com."

Boelter spoke at an event in 2020 put on by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Minnesota Africans United and Global Minnesota, according to a video posted to Facebook.

"This all started back in 2019, when my partner, McNay Nkashama, brought in the ambassador from the DRC to Minnesota, and we had meetings, the bulk of them in Minneapolis but the bulk of them that I was at was in Worthington, Minnesota where we made those connections,” said Boelter.

The website for Red Lion Group is defunct, and the Wayback machine had no archived pages for it. Boelter recently posted on LinkedIn that he was looking for work.

Authorities have not named Boelter, 57, as the suspect publicly, but he was identified through sources to the Associated Press, a Duluth television station, and the New York Post.

Public records show only one Vance Boelter in the country, and meeting minutes with the state board refer to him as Dr. Vance Boelter; the LinkedIn page for Dr. Vance Boelter gives his location as the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and lists the work on the governor's workforce development board.

On LinkedIn, he wrote that he was CEO of Red Lion Group for more than three years, and previously a general manager at 7-Eleven. He also cited experience at Greencore, Delmonte Foods, Johnsonville Sausage, and Nestle Gerber. A state document listing the Workforce Development Board members refers to him as Dr. Vance Boelter, 7-Eleven.

Fox News reported that Boelter, 57, "is reportedly the CEO of Red Lion Group, based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Praetorian Guard Security Services, according to Minnesota Africans United’s website."

That Security Services company's website lists Boelter as Director of Security Patrols and says, "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."

His wife Jenny Boelter is also listed as working for that company.

According to the New York Post, Vance Boelter "last registered to vote in 2022 as a Republican."

That website repeats the LinkedIn bio and says that Boelter "currently lives in Minnesota with his wife Jenny and their children." Boelter's dad's obituary also names his wife as Jenny and says his dad was a public school teacher and coach.

​Walz called the shooting deaths of state Rep. and former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in their own home a targeted political assassination. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and wounded earlier in the morning of June 14, the governor said. All were members of the Democratic-Farm-Labor party. There is a massive manhunt for the suspect, who dressed as a police officer and had a manifesto, according to authorities.

A month ago, Boelter wrote on LinkedIn, "Hi everyone! I’m looking to get back into the U.S. Food Industry and I'm pretty open to positions. Other Leadership positions outside of the Food Industry I'm willing to hear about as well. I have been doing projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa the last three years with Red Lion Group. If you hear of any opportunities or just want to catch up, please send me a message."

Two years ago, Boelter wrote on LinkedIn, "I’m currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo working on several projects. If I’m slow to respond my apologies as some cities have a better internet signal than others and some are pretty limited. I will respond as soon as I can."

He added, "Red Lion Group had a great meeting with the new Governor of Congo Central to talk about our private business projects that are all moving forward In that a Province. Some of our team will be staying a little longer in Washington DC in March when we are back in the U.S. to connect again with the DRC Ambassador about how our third trip to the DRC has gone. Everything is on schedule and within budget.
Hope everyone has been well in all areas."

Six years ago, he encouraged people to vote, writing, "I normally don't post much but I just wanted to put a note out there to encourage everyone to vote in the election on Tuesday. I have been in several countries where people don't have the ability to vote for who their leaders are. I will just say they were not places that anyone of us would want to live in if we had any choice in the matter."

He added: "So I am very big on just telling people to be a part of the process and vote your values and be part of this adventure we are all a part of living in the United States of America. For those of you that I'm connected with that are not in the United States, if you believe in prayer, please keep the United States in your prayers. I think the election is going to have more of an impact on the direction of our country than probably any election we have been apart of, or will be apart of for years to come. Thanks for listening and thanks in advance for getting out there and casting your vote."

Boelter is a graduate of Cardinal Stritch and St. Cloud universities, the page says. He has a doctorate, it says.

Related: Mark Hortman, Melissa Hortman's Husband, Posted Loving Facebook Photos

Related: Minnesota Shooting Suspect Had Manifesto With List of Lawmakers, Police Say

Vance Boelter Posted on Social Media That He Was Red Lion Group CEO first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 14, 2025