Two state-level Minnesota lawmakers were shot in their homes along with their spouses early Saturday morning, in what Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said “appeared to be a politically motivated assassination.” State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home just north of Minneapolis in Brooklyn Park, while State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were shot multiple times in their home just eight miles away in Champlin, and have undergone surgery. Law enforcement officials have identified the suspect as Vance Boelter, 57.
“Our state lost a great leader, and I lost the dearest of friends,” said a visibly shaken Governor Walz at a press conference on Saturday, referring to Hortman. He later added that officials were “cautiously optimistic” that Hoffman and his wife will survive the assassination attempt against them.
Superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Drew Evans said that law enforcement got the call about the attack against Hoffman at around 2 a.m. Evans said that after law enforcement got word of Hoffman being shot, officers went to pro-actively check on Hortman at her house. There they encountered the suspect, who was dressed as a police officer and had a fake police car, leaving the house. A gunfight ensued between the officers and the suspect, who managed to escape. Evans said that law enforcement are “actively searching for that individual.”
Inside Boelter’s fake squad car, there were the manifesto of the assassination, some fliers with “No Kings” slogan written on them, and a list of the names of multiple lawmakers and other officials targeted in the attack, according to Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.
Melissa Anne Hortman was a Democrat serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives, where she had been since 2019. Hortman and her husband Mark are survived by their two children. State Senator Hoffman is a Democrat as well.
The Minnesota House of Representatives was split 67-67 between Republicans and Democrats, while the State Senate, which has half as many seats, was majority Democrat by just one seat. According to the Minnesota State Legislature website, if a vacancy occurs out of session, as is the case here, the vacancy is not filled until the next state general election.
