Officer Who Fired At Vance Boelter Outside Hortman Home Identified; Caught On Camera: BCA

ST. PAUL, MN — Authorities on Thursday identified the officer who opened fire on Vance Boelter, the man accused of murdering Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, during a deadly rampage earlier this month.

Officer Zachary Baumtrog, a nine-year veteran of the Brooklyn Park Police Department, discharged his firearm outside the Hortmans’ home in the early hours of Saturday, June 14, authorities said.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a release:

As officers arrived, they encountered a vehicle resembling a squad car with emergency lights flashing in the Hortmans’ driveway and a man, later identified as Vance Boelter, at the front of the home dressed as a police officer. Shots were fired and Officer Baumtrog discharged his firearm in response. Due to the ongoing overall investigation, no further details are available.

Baumtrog has been placed on critical incident leave. He was wearing a body camera during the encounter, and the BCA is reviewing the footage as part of its investigation.

According to the BCA, Officer Baumtrog and another officer responded to the Hortman residence around 3:30 a.m. to conduct a welfare check. Their arrival came after a shooting was reported at the Champlin home of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yevette.

Prosecutors say Boelter’s rampage began around 2 a.m., when the Hoffmans’ adult daughter called 911 to report that her parents had been shot.

Boelter then traveled to Maple Grove, where surveillance footage captured him ringing the doorbell at the home of state Rep. Kristin Bahner around 2:30 a.m. The family was out of town at the time.

Next, Boelter was seen in New Hope near the home of state Sen. Ann Rest. A responding officer spotted his SUV, equipped with a light bar and resembling a squad car, parked nearby.

The officer did not engage, and by the time others arrived, Boelter had left. Rest later said she was told the suspect had been outside her home and credited officers with saving her life.

Boelter’s final stop was in Brooklyn Park at the Hortman residence. Officers arrived to find him firing into the home, according to the complaint. Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed.

Boelter fled on foot and was arrested that Sunday evening in rural Green Isle, authorities said.