Minnesota shooting suspect has North Texas ties, former student at Dallas school

The man suspected in the shooting deaths of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband has ties to North Texas. NBC 5 learned that 57-year-old Vance Boelter attended Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The institute is strongly condemning the actions of its former student. Minnesota authorities called it one of the largest manhunts in state history.

Boelter was arrested after several hours on the run following the shooting deaths of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.

A Minnesota woman told reporters she believed she spotted Boelter before flagging down officers.

“I watched him walk, and I drove right by him, but he came to the culvert. I know there's a culvert down here, and then he ducked down. And I was shaking, freaking out,” said Wendy Thomas.

Not long after the shooting, an investigation uncovered Boelter’s ties to North Texas and that he was a student at Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas, just off West Kiest Boulevard.

The institute said in a statement that Boelter attended from 1988 to 1990.

The statement reads in part:

“We are absolutely aghast and horrified that a CFNI alumnus is the suspect. This is not who we are. This is not what we teach. This is not what we model.”

The statement goes on to say the school “rejects, denounces, and condemns any and all forms of violence and extremism, be it politically, racially, religiously, or otherwise motivated.”

In a statement to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the Hortmans’ children, Sophie and Colin Hortman, said they were devastated over the murder of their parents.

A statement reads in part:

“Our parents touched so many lives, and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers…”

State Rep. Rhetta Bowers, House District 113, was among those with a swift response to the shootings.

She released a statement that reads in part:

“Political violence has no place in America. We can disagree, we can debate, and we can even stand passionately on opposite sides of an issue – but violence must never be the answer.”

Rep. Bowers spoke to NBC 5 via Zoom, recalling concerns for her own safety following this year’s legislative session.

“I noticed that I was checking my doors to make sure they were locked. Putting the alarm on just to make sure that my family and I was safe, especially when I look at what the landscape looks like now.”

Still, she said what happened in Minnesota shouldn’t stop lawmakers from their work.

“We can’t be silent. We have to remain vigilant and do the work and not be afraid,” said Bowers.

President Donald Trump also released a statement condemning the attacks:

“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God bless the great people of Minnesota.”

Back in Dallas, Christ For The Nations Institute said it has had no contact with Boelter since his time as a student 35 years ago.