Melissa Hortman, the former Speaker of the Minnesota House and her husband was killed alongside her husband in a targeted shooting at their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday (June 14) in what authorities are calling a politically motivated ambush.
The shootings also left John Hoffman, who chairs the Senate’s Human Services Committee and his wife wounded at their Champlin residence just miles away.
The two attacks, which occurred within hours and eight miles apart in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis, have triggered a statewide security response and a federal manhunt.
Both lawmakers are prominent members of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party.
Hortman and her husband were pronounced dead at the scene. Their dog was also shot.
Hoffman and his wife, were shot multiple times but are expected to survive, according to law enforcement.
Authorities said the assailant posed as a police officer, wearing a uniform and possibly using a vehicle equipped with emergency lights. The suspect is described as a white male with brown hair, dressed in black body armor over a blue shirt and blue pants.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the attacks in a statement Saturday.
“This was an act of targeted political violence. Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint,” he said.
He continued, “We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence. At this precipice moment we’re on, this tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us that democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in state houses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place.”
All Minnesota state lawmakers have been placed under protective custody as a precaution. The FBI is assisting local authorities in the search for the gunman.
The killings come as tensions rise nationwide, with No Kings protests scheduled in nearly 2,000 locations across the United States on Saturday (June 14).
Organizers expect millions to participate, making it the largest single-day protest since President Trump returned to office.
The demonstrations are a response to Trump’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C., which is scheduled to celebrate his 79th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
The main rally is being held in Philadelphia, with organizers emphasizing nonviolence and asking attendees not to bring weapons.
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