Two Minnesota lawmakers gunned down and manifesto discovered: what we know about the ‘politically motivated’ shooting
.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp&trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&w=1920&resize=1920,1267&ssl=1 "Two Minnesota lawmakers gunned down and manifesto discovered: what we know about the ‘politically motivated’ shooting")
Minnesota is reeling after a deadly overnight attack on state lawmakers that authorities are calling a “politically motivated” assassination.
State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park early Saturday morning.
Just hours earlier, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times in a similar attack at their nearby residence. Authorities are “cautiously optimistic” they will survive, Gov. Tim Walz said in a news conference.
The gunman, who remains at large, was impersonating a police officer, authorities said. Inside his car, they found a manifesto naming numerous other lawmakers and public officials.
A community is now sheltering in place as the manhunt for the suspect continues.
Melissa Hortman, a Democrat and former Speaker of the Minnesota House, was a formidable public servant,” Gov. Walz said of his friend.
“She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place,” he continued. “She is irreplaceable.”
Hortman, 55, who was in her 11th term, was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2004. She is married and has two children.
“Melissa Hortman represented the best of Minnesota,” DFL party chair Richard Carlbom said in a statement.
“She was a tireless, devoted public servant who deeply loved our state and devoted her life to making it a better place. The warmth and kindness she showed to her family and friends were matched only by her fierce commitment to improving the lives of those she had never even met.”
John Hoffman, 60, and his wife were shot around 2 a.m. at their home in nearby Champlin. Both underwent surgery and are expected to survive.
Hoffman, also a Democrat, is a state senator first elected in 2012 who represents Minnesota Senate District 34, which covers a swath of the northwest Twin Cities suburbs, including Rogers and Champlin.
Hoffman served as chair of the Human Services Committee, and also served on committees for energy, environment and health and human services. He has one child.
“These were not random acts of violence,” Gov. Walz said at a press conference. “This was targeted political violence. And it’s a dark day for Minnesota and for democracy.”
