Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were fatally shot early Saturday at their home in Brooklyn Park in what Gov. Tim Walz said “appears to be a politically motivated assassination.”
Walz said another Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette, were also shot and wounded at their home in Champlin. Officials said the suspect in both shootings was impersonating a police officer, and remained at large as of late Saturday morning.
Brooklyn Park police issued a shelter-in-place order Saturday morning as authorities searched for the suspect. The shelter-in-place order is for a 3-mile radius from Edinburgh USA golf course in Brooklyn Park. The golf course is located just south of the State Highway 610 freeway, and west of State Highway 252.
Police in the alert described the suspect as a white male wearing black body armor over a blue shirt and blue pants. He’s considered armed and dangerous — and police said he should not be approached. Anyone who believes they see the suspect should call 911. Authorities advised residents in the shelter-in-place area to not open their door to a lone police officer, saying real officers in the area were working in pairs Saturday.
Dozens of “No Kings” protests opposing actions by the Trump administration were planned across Minnesota on Saturday, including one expected to draw thousands of people to the State Capitol in St. Paul.
Just after 11 a.m., the Minnesota State Patrol issued a statement “asking the public to not attend today’s planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution.” State law enforcement officials said fliers with “No Kings” printed on them were found in the suspect’s vehicle.
“We have no understanding that any of the No Kings events would be targeted. But we also find it of interest to the public that these (fliers) would be in there, and we want to alert everybody,” Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said at a late-morning news conference.
At a news conference earlier in the morning, Walz announced that the Hortmans had been killed.
“Our state lost a great leader, and I lost the dearest of friends,” Walz said of Melissa Hortman, the House DFL leader. “Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor and a sense of service.”
The Hoffmans were out of surgery, Walz said Saturday morning, and “we are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt.”
Evans said officials investigating the shootings recovered “a list of individuals, and the individuals that were targeted in this situation were on that list.” Evans said that list contained “a large number of people.”
Officials did not say who else was on that list, but state Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said “there is increased security in place for elected officials and others who may be at risk.”
“I assure you that those responsible for this will be held accountable, and each and every one of us are committed to making sure that a tragedy like this never repeats itself in Minnesota or across this country,” Walz said, flanked by local and state law enforcement officials.
Hortman was first elected to the state House in 2004, and served as House DFL leader. She previously served as House speaker.
Hoffman was first elected to the state Senate in 2012, and serves as chair of the Senate’s Human Services Committee.
Law enforcement officials outline sequence of events
Evans, with the Minnesota BCA, said the initial call was at about 2 a.m. Saturday to the shooting at the Hoffmans’ home in Champlin.
As authorities were working at that scene, other officers proactively went to check on the Hortmans’ home in Brooklyn Park at about 3:30 a.m.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said that when two officers arrived at the home, “they noticed that there was a police vehicle in the driveway with the emergency lights on, and what appeared to be a police officer at the door coming out of the house. When our officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers, who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home.”
Bruley said the vehicle “was equipped with lights, emergency lights, that looked exactly like a police vehicle.” He told reporters at the news conference that the suspect was “wearing a vest with Taser, other equipment … a badge very similar to mine that, no question, if they were in this room — you would assume that they are a police officer.”
Bruley said after being confronted by officers, the suspect apparently fled on foot out the back of the Hortmans’ home, leaving his vehicle behind. Officers looked into the home and saw Mark Hortman wounded; they brought him outside and attempted to give first aid, but he was pronounced dead soon after. After additional officers responded to the scene, a drone was used to search the home — at which time they located Melissa Hortman.
Through the morning, Bruley said, hundreds of officers were searching for the suspect in the shelter-in-place area.
Reaction to shootings
Elected officials across the political spectrum shared condolences in the wake of the news Saturday morning.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Hortman was a friend, and noted they started in politics at the same time.
“She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion. Melissa’s legacy will endure, but today we grieve deeply. John’s and my prayers are with their children, their loved ones, and all who are mourning this devastating loss,” Klobuchar wrote.
Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth said she was “shocked and horrified by the evil attack that took place overnight. Please lift up in prayer the victims, as well as the law enforcement personnel working to apprehend the perpetrator.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted that she is “closely monitoring developments in Minnesota after what appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers. The FBI is on the ground investigating this case alongside state and local partners. This horrific violence will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
