Authorities say a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were killed and another lawmaker and his wife were injured at their homes by a person impersonating law enforcement in what Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination.”
Authorities are continuing to search for a shooter who dressed as a police officer, exchanged gunfire with officers and fled on foot, officials said at a Saturday morning news conference.
Walz said state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed, and State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot and wounded in “targeted shootings” in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, two neighboring suburban cities 10 to 20 miles outside Minneapolis.
Multiple people were detained for questioning but nobody is in custody as of Saturday morning, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Asked if investigators know the name of the suspect, he said there are “people of interest that we’re looking for.”
Bruley said the shooter impersonated a police officer, complete with an SUV that is identical to real police vehicles, a vest, outfit and equipment. The shooter knocked on the victims’ doors and used the ruse to “manipulate their way into the home,” Bruley said.
In the vehicle, officers found a list of lawmakers’ names, including the ones targeted in the Saturday morning attack, Bruley said. The people named have been notified and authorities are working to provide them with increased security, he said.
President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the “terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers.”
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!” he said in a statement.
Search for shooter continues; residents shelter
Thousands of people are still sheltering in place in the area as a massive manhunt for the suspect unfolds, authorities said. Residents should not answer their doors to anyone claiming to be a police officer without first calling 911 to confirm their identity, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Officers have been instructed to only approach people in pairs, so a single police officer knocking on someone’s door would be a red flag, he said.
Walz said earlier Saturday morning he was briefed on “targeted shootings” and had activated the State Emergency Operations Center in response.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department issued an early morning shelter-in-place alert for a 3-mile radius around the Edinburgh Golf Course, the city of Brooklyn Park said in a post to Facebook.
Law enforcement agencies including SWAT teams are conducting grid searches of the area for the suspect on Saturday.
“We want to reassure the public that there is increased security in place for elected officials and others who may be at risk,” Jacobson said.
Who were the victims of the Minnesota lawmakers shootings?
Hoffman and Hortman are both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Hoffman, 60, and his wife Yvette have one child and live in Champlin, according to his lawmaker profile. He was first elected in 2012. Hortman and her husband Mark have two children and live in Brooklyn Park, according to her profile. She was elected in 2004.
Hortman served the people of Minnesota with compassion and grace, Walz said.
“Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends, Walz said. “She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place.”
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who represents Minnesota, said she was “heartbroken” by the Hortmans’ deaths.
“Melissa was a good friend and we started in politics at the same time and were always there for each other. She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion,” Klobuchar said in a post to X.
“This is a dark day today for Minnesota and for democracy, but we will not allow fear or violence to define who we are or how we move forward. We will stand together, we will stand strong,” Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said.
“I cannot emphasize enough that this is not ok. Any type of against elected officials is not ok. Any type of violence against other people is not ok,” nearby Mounds View Mayor Zach Lindstrom said in a post.
What happened in the Minnesota lawmakers shootings?
Officials say the shootings unfolded in the early morning hours Saturday. At about 2 a.m., authorities were called to respond to a report of a shooting in Champlin at Hoffman’s home, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said at the news conference. The Hoffmans had been shot and wounded and were transported to a hospital, where they underwent surgery.
“The Hoffmans are out of surgery at this time and receiving care, and we are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt,” Walz said.
While law enforcement was responding at the Hoffman home, police in neighboring Brooklyn Park, who were helping on the scene, decided to proactively check on Hortman, Bruley said. When they arrived at Hortman’s home, they saw what appeared to be a police vehicle with lights on and encountered a man dressed as an officer coming out of the home.
The suspect shot at the officers, who returned fire, and then the suspect went back into the home and is believed to have fled on foot out a back door, Bruley said.
Bruley said the suspect impersonated a police officer, complete with an SUV that is identical to real police vehicles, a vest, outfit and equipment. The suspect knocked on the victims’ doors and used the ruse to “manipulate their way into the home,” Bruley said.
“It was not a real police officer,” he said. “No question if they were in this room, you would assume they are a police officer.”
Hortman and her husband were both shot to death, officials said.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota lawmakers shot in targeted ‘assassination,’ governor says
