Democratic former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home while Senator John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin address which is about 15 kilometers away.
The authorities have identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, and the FBI issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
According to Associated Press, law enforcement agents recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect's vehicle, and he was believed to still be armed with a pistol. The authorities are searching to apprehend him and have not yet revealed about the possible motive behind the action.
The governor has ordered flags to fly at half-staff in Hortman's honor.
What Happened In Minnesota?
Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Hoffmans' home shortly after 2 a.m., Champlin police said, and found the couple with multiple gunshot wounds.
After seeing who the victims were, police sent officers to proactively check on Hortman's home. There they encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle and a man dressed as an officer at the door, leaving the house.
"When officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home" and escaped on foot, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said.
Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the front door of Hoffman's home.
John and Yvette Hoffman each underwent surgery, according to Walz.
"We are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt," the governor said at a morning news conference.
Trump said in a statement that the FBI would join in the investigation.
"Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!"
Hundreds of police and sheriff deputies, some in tactical gear with assault-style weapons, were scattered throughout the town. Some checkpoints were set up. Police lifted a shelter-in-place order in the afternoon, saying they had reason to believe the suspect was no longer in the area.
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Hortman, 55, had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since 2017. She led Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year's session in a power struggle with Republicans. Under a power sharing agreement, she turned the gavel over to Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth and assumed the title speaker emerita.
Hortman used her position as speaker in 2023 to help champion expanded protections for abortion rights, including legislation to solidify Minnesota's status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions 바카라” and to protect providers who serve them.
Walz called her a "formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota."
"She woke up every day, determined to make this state a better place," he said. "She is irreplaceable."
Hortman and her husband had two adult children.
The initial autopsy reports from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office gave their cause of death as "multiple gunshot wounds."
The reports said Melissa Hortman died at the scene while her husband was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and was chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He and his wife have one daughter.
State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic asked people "out of an abundance of caution" not to attend "No Kings" protests. Bogojevic said authorities did not have any direct evidence that the protests would be targeted, but noted the "No Kings" flyers in the car.
Organizers announced that all demonstrations in the state were canceled, but many people still showed up for protests at the Capitol and elsewhere in the Twin Cities area.
Who Is Vance Boelter?
Vance Boelter, 57, is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, records show, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other.
Boelter was appointed to the workforce development board in 2016 and then reappointed in 2019 to a four-year term that expired in 2023, state records show.
Corporate records show Boelter's wife filed to create a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC with the same Green Isle mailing address listed for the couple. On a website for the business, Boelter's wife is listed as president and CEO, while he is listed as director of security patrols.
The homepage says it provides armed security for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police vehicle, with a light bar across the roof and "Praetorian" painted across the doors. Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest.
An online resume says Boelter is a security contractor who has worked in the Middle East and Africa, in addition to past managerial roles at companies in Minnesota.
Boelter texted friends at a Minneapolis residence, where he had rented a room and would stay one or two nights a week, to say he had "made some choices," the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
