1 Minnesota State Lawmaker Killed, Another Shot in 'Targeted' Attack

Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed on Saturday by a gunman who’s also wanted for shooting Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, officials said.

“This was an act of targeted political violence,” Gov. Tim Walz told reporters. “Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence at gunpoint.”

Both Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, and Hoffman, of Champlin, were shot in their homes, just north of Minneapolis and approximately 8 miles away from each other, in the early hours of Saturday. While both Hortman and her spouse were fatally shot, Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, have undergone surgery, with doctors “cautiously optimistic that they will improve.”

The shooter was still on the scene when officers arrived at Hortman’s home around 3:35 a.m., but “the individual was able to escape during that exchange of gunfire,” said Drew Evans, head of the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said the suspect was wearing a vest, Taser and a badge in an apparent bid to impersonate law enforcement. They were also operating a vehicle that “looked exactly like an SUV squad car,” equipped with emergency lights.

“No question, if they were in this room, you would assume they were a police officer,” he told reporters.

Authorities said they have “people of interest” they’re looking for, and had detained and questioned several individuals, but that no suspect was in custody as of late Saturday morning.

Residents near the Edinburgh Golf Course in Brooklyn Park received a shelter-in-place text notification on Saturday, alerting them to the early morning violence. It warned of a suspect wearing black body armor over a blue shirt. Authorities added that the shooter, who could still be pretending to be a cop, should be considered armed and dangerous.

Walz said he had activated the State Emergency Operations Center.

“The Minnesota Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement are on the scene,” he added. “We will share more information soon.”

In the hours after the shooting, lawmakers from across the state took to social media to condemn the incident, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who described the shootings as a “stunning act of violence.”

“I’m thankful for all the law enforcement who are responding in real time,” she continued. “Both legislators are close friends and devoted to their families and public service.”

Hortman, a legislator for nearly 20 years, served as the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives for a six-year period ending earlier this year. According to her bio, she had two children.

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