Officers work in an scenery area after what the police said was a targeted shooting in the area around the golf course of Edinburgh in the outskirts of Minneapolis of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, US 14 June 2025. Photocredit: Ellen Schmidt
Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota, says that former speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed in a politically motivated murder, and a second legislator and his wife were shot and injured. Authorities were actively looking for a suspicious hours after the intended murders.
“We all have to face all forms of political violence in Minnesota and throughout the country,” Walz said at a press conference on Saturday. “Those responsible for this will be held responsible.”
The wounded legislator was identified as a state of Senator John Hoffman, a democrat chosen for the first time in 2012. He previously served as vice chairman of the Anoka Hennepin School Board, which manages the largest school district in Minnesota. Hoffman is married and has one daughter and represents a district north of Minneapolis.
Hortman was the democratic leader of the top house in the state legislator and a former speaker of the house. She was chosen for the first time in 2004. She and her husband had two children.
Drew Evans, chief inspector of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said that the authorities were actively looking for a suspect.
Autopsies will be done to determine the extent of injuries, but Hortman and her husband died of shot wounds, Evans said. A “hiding place” order was in force early Saturday.
Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said that the suspect occurred as a law enforcement officer.
“The suspect exploited the trust of our uniforms, which our uniforms are meant to represent. That betrayal is deeply disturbing for those of us who bear the badge with honor and responsibility,” he said.
Police chief Mark Bruley said that the suspect from the back of Hortman’s house fled with the police after an exchange of gunfire.
The suspect was dressed as an uniformed officer and operated a vehicle that “looked exactly like an SUV car car. It was equipped with lights, emergency lights and looked exactly like a police vehicle,” said Brulley.
President Donald Trump said in a statement from the White House that the FBI would participate in the investigation.
“Our attorney -general, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, investigate the situation, and they will prosecute anyone involved in the law of the law. Such horrible violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God bless the great people of Minnesota, a really great place!”
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring, called the attack “Evil” and said that she was “deeply saddened without words” through the murders of Hortman and her husband, Mark.
“With the law enforcement response and details that are still on the rise, I will simply ask all Minnesotans to raise in prayer, the victims of this horrible attack, as well as the law enforcement staff who still work to arrest the perpetrator,” Demuth said in a statement.
The shootings happened at a time when political leaders were attacked nationally, harassed and intimidated in a time of deep political departments.
Giffords, the National Gun Violence Prevention Organization, led by former American Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, published the following statement.
“My family and I know the horror of a targeted shooting,” said Giffords. “An attack on legislators is an attack on American democracy itself. Leaders must express themselves and condemn the fainting violent extremism that threatens everything that this country stands for.”
Giffords was shot in the head in 2011 by a shooter who killed six people and injured 12 others. She resigned in January 2012 to concentrate on her recovery.
Published on June 14, 2025
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