Minnesota Lawmaker, Her Husband Die in Targeted Shooting

(MENAFN) A gunman has fatally shot Minnesota Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, while seriously wounding another lawmaker and his wife in a separate shooting, local officials confirmed.

Governor Tim Walz called the attacks an “act of targeted political violence” and said the suspect is still at large amid an intense manhunt.

Hortman and her husband were attacked at their residence in Brooklyn Park, a Minneapolis suburb. Meanwhile, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot roughly five miles away in Champlin. Authorities believe the assailant disguised himself as a police officer, according to media reports.

Police arrived at Senator Hoffman’s home around 2 a.m. on Saturday, finding both him and his wife shot multiple times but still alive. They were promptly transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Shortly after, officers in Brooklyn Park began checking on other lawmakers to assist. When they reached Representative Hortman’s home around 3:35 a.m., they spotted a dark SUV with flashing red-and-blue lights resembling an unmarked police vehicle in the driveway.

A white male, dressed in dark clothing and wearing a black bulletproof vest, exited the house and opened fire on the officers. Following a brief shootout, the suspect retreated inside and escaped on foot through a rear exit.

A search of the suspect’s vehicle uncovered a “manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials,” Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Authorities immediately warned those named and increased their protection.

In response, Hennepin County authorities issued a shelter-in-place order as the search for the suspect continued.

Later Saturday, a news agency, citing unnamed sources, reported the suspect is 57-year-old Vance Boelter, a private security employee with military experience.

Governor Walz praised Hortman, the former Minnesota House Speaker, calling her a “formidable public servant” and pledged to “spare no resource in bringing those responsible to justice.”

President Donald Trump echoed this sentiment on his Truth Social platform, declaring the suspect will be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.”

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