Fake Cop Murders Top State Dem and Husband and Shoots Second

Yahoo

6 hours ago

Two Democratic Party lawmakers were shot in separate incidents at their homes in suburban Minnesota by a gunman dressed like a cop early Saturday morning.
State Representative Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband Mark, who were shot at their home in Brooklyn Park, succumbed to their injuries, KSTP reported. State Senator John Hoffman, 60, and his wife Yvette were shot at their home in Champlin, north of Minneapolis.
Police have identified the suspected gunman as Vance Luther Boelter, 57, a private security consultant who was also appointed to the Minnesota Governor's Workforce Development Board in 2019.
Boelter, who is alleged to have worn body armor during the assault, is now the subject of a massive police dragnet. He is on foot, police said in a press conference.
Officers 'exchanged fire' with the gunman after he began shooting at police when they arrived on the scene at Hortman's home.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described the shootings as 'an act of targeted political violence' at the press conference, adding that 'those responsible will be held accountable' and that he would be working with other officials to ensure 'a tragedy like this never repeats itself.'
Hoffman and his wife are now out of surgery. Walz said he is 'cautiously optimistic' they will recover.
Both officials had reportedly attended a Democratic dinner with their spouses on Friday night to mark the end of an acrimonious, daylong special session of the Minnesota legislature, during which lawmakers avoided a partial government shutdown after passing a $66 billion budget.
Prior to her death, Hortman had served as her party's top official in the state House, and previously as speaker. Hoffman has held his office as state senator for more than 13 years.
His nephew, Matt Oleg, told KARE 11 that one of the gunman's bullets had very nearly hit his uncle's heart during the assault.
Oleg added that Hoffman's daughter, Hope, had been at the house last night, and that his wife Yvette had been injured by the shots after she 'threw herself on top of her daughter' so that she 'was not hit.'
President Donald Trump responded to the incident in a statement posted to X by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. He described it as a 'terrible shooting [...] which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers,' adding that the matter was already under investigation by Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI.
'Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,' he said. 'God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!'
The shootings come just hours before millions are expected to attend a spate of protests across more than 2,000 cities around the country, coinciding with a Washington, D.C., military parade to mark the Army's 250th anniversary, which also happens to fall on Trump's 79th birthday.
Police 'have reason to believe' the shooter may have been planning to target today's 'No Kings' demonstrations in the area to protest Trump's parade, a senior state official told The New York Times.
Having initially cancelled only one protest in the northeast of Minneapolis, where the shootings took place, organizers have reportedly since called off all planned protests in the city and wider area as the manhunt continues.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley added that a 'manifesto' and list of names, including those of the two lawmakers who were shot, had been recovered from the shooter's vehicle.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey posted on X that he had been 'in contact with our Commissioner, Chief and safety partners all morning' and that additional police resources had been assigned 'to check on the safety of public officials who may be at risk.'
Before they were cancelled, Walz said that 'out of an abundance of caution,' he and his team were 'recommending that people do not attend any political rallies today in Minnesota until the suspect is apprehended.'
The governor had posted earlier in the morning that he had been briefed on the incidents, again describing them as 'targeted shootings.'
'The Minnesota Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement are on the scene,' he wrote. 'We will share more information soon.'
In a subsequent update, he added that the State Emergency Operations Center has been activated, and that 'local law enforcement in Champlin and Brooklyn Park have the full resources of the State of Minnesota behind them.'
'We are monitoring the situation closely and will share more information soon,' he added.
While local authorities have not officially commented on the incident, the Brooklyn Park Police Department, the lead agency on the investigation, sent out a shelter-in-place alert earlier this morning covering a three-mile radius around the neighbourhood's Edinburgh Golf Course.
The suspect, believed to have disguised himself as a law-enforcement official, was described prior to being identified as Boelter as a white man with brown hair, wearing black body armor over a blue shirt. He has not been apprehended and is considered armed and dangerous.
Authorities have instructed local residents not to answer the door for anyone saying they are police unless there are two officers present and to call 911 to confirm the identity of the officer if there is only one.
'I never thought we'd be here,' local mayor Zach Lindstrom said in a statement on X. 'My prayers are with the Hortman, and Hoffman families. I hope everyone comes out of this ok. I cannot emphasize enough that this is not ok.'
'Any type of violence against elected officials is not ok. Any type of violence against other people is not ok,' he went on. 'My understanding is that its someone cos-playing as a officer [sic] and they haven't been caught. For those going out to protest today please do it safely and if something looks off say something we do not need anyone else to get hurt.'
Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig, a Democrat, also posted to X, saying she was 'devastated' to hear about the attacks on two 'great public servants and friends' and that she is 'closely monitoring the situation this morning' as well as 'keeping their families, colleagues and loved ones in our prayers.'
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar similarly decried what she described as a 'stunning act of violence' against two of her 'close friends' and expressed gratitude 'for all the law enforcement who are responding in real time' to the shootings.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Hortman and Hoffman's offices for comment on the shootings.