A lifelong friend of the alleged Minnesota gunman says Vance Boelter had been struggling to find work and was wrestling with a “darkness that was inside of him” at the time of the shootings.

The suspect remains at large while hundreds of law enforcement officers from multiple agencies conduct an intensive manhunt.

Vance Boelter, accused of shooting two politicians and their spouses, appears to have associated with Christian nationalist institutions

Authorities are searching for a man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers. Authorities have identified him as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, of Green Isle.

Vance Boelter, the suspect wanted for fatally shooting a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband has reportedly been identified, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities say Boelter also shot state Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, injuring them at their residence about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away. Federal prosecutors charged Boelter with murder and stalking, which could result in a death sentence if convicted. His lead attorney has declined to comment.

Early Saturday morning, when a man dressed like a police officer knocked at the home of a Minnesota state legislator, marked the start of nearly 40 hours of violence and fear that swept through towns in an arc around Minneapolis.

Assassination suspect arrested after fatal attack on Minnesota lawmakers. The man suspected of shooting two Democratic lawmakers, killing one, in what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz call