Minnesota Legislature House Speaker Melissa Hortman (left) is pictured on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, at Saint Paul, Minn. Credit – Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune—Getty Images
Two Democratic Minnesota lawmakers have been shot in what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz referred to as acts of “targeted political violence,” at their respective homes early Saturday morning.
Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed by a person pretending to be a police officer. Hortman was the former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She and her husband had two children.
“Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends,” Walz said of the killing of Hortman and her husband. “Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service. She was a formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota.”
In a separate attack, Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times, but are now “out of surgery and receiving care,” Walz told reporters during a press conference on Saturday, stating he was “cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt.”
“Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint,” Walz said. “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.”
Walz went on to say that those responsible “will be held accountable.”
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What do we know so far about the shootings of the Minnesota lawmakers?
Police chief Mark Bruley said several people have been detained and questioned, but no one is currently in custody. He said there are “people of interest” that the authorities are looking for.
Police report that at around 2 a.m., local time, they were called to the shooting of state Sen. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin, Minnesota. Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said that life-saving measures were provided for both individuals, and they have since received surgeries for their injuries at a local hospital.
Later in the early hours, officers in Brooklyn Park, less than 10 miles away from Champlin, performed a proactive check-up on Speaker Hortman, to find an individual impersonating a police officer at Hortman’s home, said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Marky Bruley.
“[Officers on the scene] noticed that there was a ‘police’ vehicle in the driveway with the emergency lights on, and what appeared to be a police officer at the door coming out of the house,” Bruley said. “When our officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home.”
After the suspect retreated, the police “went up to the threshold” of the home to find Hortman’s husband on the ground, where he had been “clearly struck by gunfire.” Though the officers attempted to remove him from the home to safety, he was pronounced dead shortly after. It was once the officers received additional resources and teams that they could surround the home and utilize a drone to identify Hortman herself inside the house.
They believe the suspect fled out of the back door of the home. The City of Brooklyn Park has issued a “shelter-in-place” order while the police conduct “an extensive manhunt involving hundreds and hundreds of assessors and SWAT teams,” Bruley said.
Officers searched the fake police vehicle, an SUV, on site and found a “manifesto,” which named a number of local lawmakers—two of which were Hoffman and Hortman.
“We immediately made alerts to the state, who took action on alerting them [the others] and providing security where necessary,” Bruley said. This action was confirmed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said he is working with the authorities to protect other lawmakers.
“I have been in contact with our Commissioner, Chief, and safety partners all morning, and we have assigned additional police resources to check on the safety of public officials who may be at risk, and to actively participate in the manhunt to bring this suspect to justice,” Frey said.
Superintendent Evans said that investigators also found “No Kings” posters inside the SUV. As a result, the Minnesota State Patrol urged residents not to attend Saturday’s “No Kings” protests across the state.
“Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today’s planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution,” a statement read.
Minnesota organizers have since canceled their “No Kings” protests. However, despite this, there are reports that large crowds have gathered at the protests.
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Lawmakers pay tribute to Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark
Tributes to Hortman have poured in, with her peers honoring the impact she had on Minnesota politics.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar took to social media to honor her “good friend.”
“I am heartbroken and horrified by the tragic loss of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were taken from us in an act of violence,” Klobuchar said. “She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion. Melissa’s legacy will endure, but today we grieve deeply.”
Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords—who herself was the victim of attempted assassination in 2011, mourned Hortman and her husband, saying she was “devastated” by the news.
“My family and I know the horror of a targeted shooting all too well. An attack against lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself,” Giffords said. “Leaders must speak out and condemn the fomenting violent extremism that threatens everything this country stands for.”
Former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called the shootings “a shocking and abhorrent manifestation of political violence in our country.”
“Unfortunately, we know the tragedy of when political violence hits home very well,” Pelosi said, referencing the 2022 politically motivated attack on her husband, Paul Pelosi. “All of us must remember that it’s not only the act of violence, but also the reaction to it, that can normalize it. This climate of politically-motivated violence must end.”
President Donald Trump has also shared his condolences.
“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,” Trump said, in a statement shared by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”
The targeted attacks in Minnesota occur at a time during which politically-motivated violence in the U.S. has been steadily on the rise—including the high-profile 2024 assassination attempt of President Donald Trump and the 2020 planned kidnapping of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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