BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (BN24) — A Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were shot dead and another legislator and his wife were critically wounded in a politically motivated attack early Saturday that state officials are calling an “assassination.” Authorities have launched an intensive manhunt for the suspected gunman, identified as 57-year-old Vance Boelter.
The fatal shooting occurred at the home of State Rep. Melissa Hortman, 55, a prominent Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) legislator from Brooklyn Park. She and her husband, Mark, were both pronounced dead at the scene. At nearly the same time, State Sen. John Hoffman of Champlin and his wife, Yvette, were attacked in their home and remain hospitalized in serious condition.
“This was a targeted, politically motivated act of violence,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said at a press conference Saturday. “Melissa and Mark were murdered for her public service. This was an assassination.”
Boelter allegedly gained access to the homes by impersonating law enforcement, wearing a tactical vest, blue shirt, and a replica badge. Police recovered an SUV fitted with flashing lights, a ramming bumper, and other law enforcement features, believed to have been used by the suspect. Investigators also found a “manifesto” and a list of other Minnesota lawmakers and public officials in the vehicle.
Authorities say Boelter fled after exchanging gunfire with police around 3:35 a.m. at Hortman’s residence. The area near Edinburgh Golf Course remains under a shelter-in-place order as law enforcement agencies from across the state, including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and federal authorities, continue the search.
Gov. Walz confirmed that the shootings appear to be connected to national anti-government protests planned under the banner “No Kings,” including one that had been scheduled in northeast Minnesota. That event was canceled following the shootings. Police said fliers with the same slogan were found inside the suspect’s vehicle, though the extent of the connection remains under investigation.
“This kind of politically driven violence cannot stand,” Walz said. “Disagreement does not justify terror. We must all speak out against this extremism.”
The deadly shootings come amid a troubling pattern of political violence across the country. Just last year, President Donald Trump survived two assassination attempts, including one by a man later found dead at the scene in Pennsylvania. In separate incidents this year, extremist-linked attacks have targeted politicians, diplomats, and public events — including a car bombing in California and a firebombing at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home.
President Trump condemned Saturday’s violence in Minnesota and said he was briefed by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” Trump said in a statement. “We will bring those responsible to justice.”
Rep. Hortman, a former Speaker of the Minnesota House, was a leading progressive voice who had recently co-authored legislation supporting equal rights and condemning Trump’s controversial pardons of January 6 offenders. Sen. Hoffman authored major legislation on aging and elder care services.
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who served with both lawmakers, expressed heartbreak on social media. “This is a stunning act of violence. My prayers are with the Hortman and Hoffman families,” she wrote.
Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, also responded. “An attack on lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself,” she said in a statement. “We must reject violent extremism in all its forms.”
The Brooklyn Park Police Department urged residents to avoid the area around the Edinburgh Golf Course as the search for Boelter continues. Authorities say additional names found on the suspect’s hit list are being contacted and given protection.
