Officials in Minnesota say a man dressed as a police officer targeted two state legislators overnight Friday in a politically motivated attack. Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were fatally shot in their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, while Sen. John Hoffman—who is also a Democrat—and his wife, Yvette, were shot and wounded at their Champlin, Minnesota residence.
Hortman, who was 55, represented Minnesota House District 34B. At a press conference Saturday, Gov. Tim Walz described her as “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.” With husband Mark, she shared two children, according to her campaign website.
The 60-year-old Hoffman represents Minnesota Senate District 34. Both he and his wife were shot multiple times, Walz says. “We are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt.” The couple has one child.
In a Facebook post, Brooklyn Park officials issued a shelter in place order for Saturday, as police searched for the suspect. He is a white man with brown hair wearing a blue shirt and pants, as well as a black tactical vest. He is believed to be representing himself as law enforcement, police say. As of publication time, he remains at large.
CBS reports that police caught sight of the suspect outside Hortman’s home, when they saw “what appeared to be a police SUV with emergency lights on.” The suspect, who they believe had been driving the vehicle, fled Hoffman’s home, exchanging gunfire with officers as he fled on foot.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, fliers for Saturday’s planned “No Kings” protests were discovered in the suspect’s vehicle. As a result, “we are asking the public to not attend today’s planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution,” the agency said via X.
Organizers for the Northeast Minneapolis demonstrations say that their civil actions for the day have been canceled as a result. “Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the communities impacted by this violence” they said via statement. “Some events in other parts of the greater Minneapolis area are still moving forward at this time, and we are actively monitoring the situation.” Walz, in fact, was scheduled to speak at a No Kings rally in St. Paul, he said Friday. Following the shootings, he canceled his appearance and urged area residents to stay at home.
“When we did a search of the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials,” Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said at a Saturday news conference. “We immediately made alerts to the state, who took action on alerting them and providing security where necessary.”
According to a statement from the US Capitol Police, officials in that agency are “aware of the violence targeting state lawmakers in Minnesota. We have been working with our federal, state and local partners,” but declined to provide additional comment. “For safety reasons, we cannot provide specific details about our security posture,” the agency said.