Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed early Saturday in what appears to be a “politically motivated assassination” of the Democrat, Gov. Tim Walz said.
Minnesota Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were separately each shot multiple times in their own home, about eight miles away. They remained alive as of Saturday morning.
Walz said he was “cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt.”
Three people familiar with the investigation identified the man police are looking for in connection with the shootings as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, NBC News reported.
A manhunt was underway Saturday for the suspect who was impersonating a police officer at the victims’ homes, which are located in the suburbs of Minneapolis, authorities said.
“Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends,” Walz, former Democratic candidate for vice president, said during a news conference.
Hortman, a member of the Minnesota House since 2005, served as speaker until earlier this year.
Manhunt underway
Police deploy as a manhunt is underway for a shooter that targeted two state lawmakers, in Brooklyn Park, Minn. on Saturday, June 14, 2025.
Tim Sullivan | AP
Officials said that police responded to a call at about 2 a.m. local time that Hoffman and his wife had been shot in their Champlin residence.
Police were then “proactively checking” Hortman’s house in Brooklyn Park at around 3:35 a.m. Upon arrival, officers encountered an individual who “immediately fired” at them, said Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at a briefing.
The suspect escaped from the back of the house amid the exchange of gunfire, officials said.
Officials said that they identified the suspect’s car, which had emergency lights and sirens resembling a police car.
Upon searching the suspect’s car, officials also found a “manifesto” naming other lawmakers and officials.
Trump briefed
President Donald Trump has been “briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota,” according to a statement.
Trump said that anybody involved will be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” Trump continued.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi also said that she is “closely monitoring developments in Minnesota after what appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers.”
Bondi said the FBI is on the ground in Minnesota and working with state and local law enforcement.
“This horrific violence will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi wrote on X.
Officials recommend against attending political rallies in Minnesota
Minnesota State Patrol warned the public not to attend planned demonstrations across the state on Saturday “out of an abundance of caution” due to the “targeting shootings of state lawmakers overnight.”
“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,” Walz wrote on X.
Thousands of demonstrations are planned nationwide as part of “No Kings Day” to protest Trump’s policies.
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Lawmakers condemn shootings
Statements condemning the violence poured in from lawmakers and officials around the country following the attacks.
Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said that his “heart is broken” by the “senseless murders.”
“This senseless violence must end,” Martin said in a statement.
“These heinous murders are a reflection of the extremism and political violence that have been fomented in our country,” he continued.
“Lawmakers should be able to do their job without fear for their lives.”
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