American politicians and spouses shot, two killed by fake police officer

An American state politician and her husband were killed and a state senator and his wife were injured, after they were reportedly attacked in their houses by a shooter who occurred as a police officer.

Melissa Hortman, a member of the House of Representatives of Minnesota, and her husband were both killed, said state governor Tim Walz. He said it was an act of “targeted political violence.”

Senator John Hoffman and his wife of Minnesota and his wife were shot several times and were operated on.

Walz said he was “cautiously optimistic”, they would survive.

Both politicians were Democrats.

Mr. Walz, who was the vice-presidential running buddy of Kamala Harris in the 2024 elections, said: “An unspeakable tragedy unfolded in Minnesota-my-friend and colleague, speaker Melissa Hortman, were shot and killed this morning in what a politically motivated motivated

Local police chief Mark Bruley said that a “manifesto” with other possible goals was found in the car of the shooter.

“When we were looking for the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many legislators and other officials,” he said. “We have taken action to warn them and to provide security where necessary.”

Police sources told the Associated Press and CNN that the suspect they were looking for was the 57-year-old Vince Boelter.

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A large -scale search for the suspect is now underway. The police have asked residents of two suburbs north of Minneapolis to stay inside.

The shooting took place before hundreds of planned rallies in the US to protest against President Donald Trump’s policy. The local Ministry of Public Security ordered demonstrators not to attend political meetings in Minnesota until the suspect is arrested, “from an abundance of caution”.

Large rallies were expected in almost all major cities in the US just before the largest military parade in America in decades would take place in Washington DC, coinciding with Mr Trump’s birthday.

Mr. Trump said he had been informed about the “terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, who seems to be a targeted attack on state laws,” and investigated the FBI.

“Such a horrible violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” he said in a statement.

Amy Klobuchar, one of the Democratic US senators of Minnesota, condemned the “stunning act of violence” in a post on X and said that her prayers are “at the Hortman and Hoffman families. Both legislators are good friends and are committed to their families and public services”.

Fake police officer ‘manipulated way’ in the house of victims

The Chief Inspector of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Drew Evans, said that the police were called to the house of Senator Hoffman on Saturday, local time.

He said about 90 minutes later, officers who were “proactive”, checked Mrs. Hortman’s house in a nearby suburb “against the person who immediately shot them”.

Chief Bruley said the shooter was dressed as a police officer and “had used the confidence of this badge and this uniform to manipulate their way to the house”.

He had driven to Mrs. Hortman’s house in a vehicle equipped with police lights “that looked exactly like an SUV car car”.

The police exchanged fire with the shooter before withdrawing into the house, said Chief Bruley. The man then fled.

Mrs. Hortman was the house leader of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party, the state report of the National Democratic Party. She served as a house speaker until earlier this year for six years.

The DFL Caucus house said it was shocked and destroyed.

“This is an unspeakable act of political violence that should never happen in the United States of America,” said it in a statement.

Mr. Walz said that he had activated the Minnesota Emergency Operations Center and the police in the two suburbs “delivered the full resources” of the state.

ABC/wires