A state Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota and her husband were shot and killed in their home early Saturday morning, June 14, in what Gov. Tim Walz described as a “politically motivated assassination.” A second state lawmaker and his spouse were also shot multiple times in their home, though they are expected to survive.
“This was an act of targeted political violence,” Walz said during a press conference Saturday morning.
State representative and former speaker of the Minnesota House, Melissa Hortman, and state Sen. John Hoffman, both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, were shot inside their homes early Saturday morning. Their spouses were also shot during the incidents.
The alleged shooter posed as a law enforcement agent and drove an SUV that looked “exactly like an SUV squad car,” Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. The vehicle was equipped with emergency lights, while the individual wore a vest and carried a badge and a Taser.
“No question that if they were in this room, you would assume that they are a police officer,” said Bruley.
A manifesto was also found in the vehicle, according to Bruley, that identified “many lawmakers and other officials.”
“The suspect exploited the trust that our uniforms are meant to represent,” said Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson. “That betrayal is deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility.”
Hortman, who was killed alongside her husband, resided in Brooklyn Park. Hoffman and his wife live in Champlin. The two suburbs sit roughly eight miles apart, north of Minneapolis.
According to Superintendent Drew Evans of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Champlin Police responded to reports of gunfire at Hoffman’s home around 2 a.m. Saturday. Their counterparts in the Brooklyn Park Police Department “proactively” decided to check on the home of Hortman.
Evans added that law enforcement agents encountered the suspect near Hortman’s house in Brooklyn Park, and that the suspect “immediately fired at them.” The suspect escaped on foot during an exchange of gunfire.
Hoffman and his wife were transported to the hospital, where they underwent surgery.
In a statement on behalf of President Donald Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X, “I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers. Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”
Brooklyn Park PD recovered the suspect’s vehicle, and a manhunt is currently underway. Thousands of residents in Brooklyn Park are under shelter-in-place orders.
With nationwide “No Kings” protests targeting the Trump administration planned across the country Saturday, Walz wrote on X that, “Out of an abundance of caution my Department of Public Safety is recommending that people do not attend any political rallies today in Minnesota until the suspect is apprehended.”
