Minnesota shooting suspect was 'down' after Africa trip

A man who lived with Vance Luther Boelter, suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses on Saturday, said his lifelong friend had been "down" lately after returning from a trip.

- ARIANA BAIO

David Carlson told reporters over the weekend that he's known Boelter since the fourth grade and considered him a best friend.

He said the two occasionally shared a rental near Minneapolis because it was close to their workplaces.

Mr Carlson was shocked to learn his friend was a suspect in the recent shooting, saying that Boelter "wasn't as cheerful as he used to be," but he never expected him to commit any violence.

"He kept things inside," Mr Carlson said, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. "He's been kind of down. He was not as upbeat as he usually is."

Boelter's mood reportedly changed after returning from a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he was trying to start up a new business, Carlson told the Washington Post.