Minnesota Senator John Hoffman's wife reveals horror details about shooting from her hospital bed

Daily Mail​

8 hours ago

The brave wife of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman has shared a hopeful update about his recovery - as she revealed horror details about the shooting from her hospital.
Vance Boelter, 57, allegedly broke into the Democratic lawmaker's home and began firing at him and his family at around 2am on Saturday, before going on to kill Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home eight miles away.
When the shooting began, Yvette Hoffman - John's wife - jumped on top of the couple's adult daughter, Hope, in a brave attempt to spare her, her nephew Mat Ollig shared on Facebook.
Yvette wound up being struck by eight bullets, and her husband was struck by nine, she told US Sen. Amy Klobuchar in a publicized message on Sunday.
One of the rounds narrowly missed the state senator's viral organs, and both he and his wife were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.
Hoffman has since undergone several surgeries, and 'is closer ever hour to being out of the woods,' Yvette told Klobucher, adding that both she and her husband 'are both incredibly lucky to be alive.'
She then shared her condolences for Hortman and her husband, saying both she and the state senator 'are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark.
'We have no words,' she said. 'There is never a place for this kind of political hate.'
It is believed Boelter, a Trump supporter, was motivated to kill the two Democratic lawmakers for their support of abortion rights, after police uncovered a hit list of about 70 people from his car Saturday morning.
Most of the names on that list were Democrats or people with ties to Planned Parenthood or the abortion rights movement, CNN reports.
A second hit list with more than a dozen new names was also found during a search of one of Boelter's homes on Saturday as police continued their manhunt for the suspect.
Swarms of state troopers, FBI agents, SWAT teams and even a US Marshals Fugitive Task Force were seen descending on a rural Minnesota town on Sunday, going from house to house in search of the suspect.
The military-style convoy even traveled in armored vehicles with rooftop snipers, while hundreds of other police officers set up command in Green Isle - near Boelter and his wife Jenny's home.
Authorities ultimately located Boelter's car, a Buick that appeared to be dumped in Faxon Township, on Sunday and found a cowboy hot lying on the ground that was identical to one Boelter was wearing in CCTV images released by the FBI.
However, police have had no luck finding the fugitive as of 7pm on Sunday.
It now remains unclear where the suspected murderer may have run off to, as Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at Minnesota's Department of Public Safety, noted 'he certainly had a lot of time to be able to cover a lot of distance once we knew that he had escaped from the crime scene.'
Police had encountered the gunman fleeing Hortman's home at 3.35am on Saturday and exchanged gunfire with him.
Chilling photos showed the suspect donning an unsettling costume mask covering his entire head.
Yet officers somehow let the suspect slip through their fingers as he escaped the scene on foot.
Police have since received more than 400, and have recovered evidence from his vehicle, Evans said Sunday.
'We continue to conduct interviews on the investigative piece, not only to learn his whereabouts, but also to follow up on the case and gather the information as part of the prosecution related to him,' he added.
Authorities have already questioned Boelter's wife, Jenny, who was stopped at a convenience store while driving a car with three other relatives inside near Onamia about 10am on Saturday.
She was found with a weapon, ammunition, cash, and passports about 75 miles from where the shootings took place in northern Minneapolis eight hours earlier.
More than a dozen officers swarmed Jenny's car during the traffic stop and they were at the scene for two to three hours.
Jenny was detained for questioning after officers found the items inside the vehicle, but no one was arrested as she was released.
Authorities have since said she and other family members were cooperative with the investigation.
Meanwhile, Boelter's best friend and roommate David Carlson told local news outlet KARE11 he was an avid Trump supporter and voted for the Republican candidate.
He also described the suspect as a Christian who opposed abortion.
In fact, the suspect worked as a pastor and was seen in a newly unearthed video dancing in a church service in Africa.
The clip, filmed in February 2023, showed him delivering a passionate testimony about how he met Jesus at the age of 17.
'I met the Lord when I was 17 years old and I gave my life to Jesus Christ,' he says in the clip.
He went on to describe naming his five children - who he shares with Jenny - after Christian virtues, Grace, Faith, Hope, Joy, and David, in what he calls a testament to God's blessings on his life.
The night before the deadly shooting, Boelter even texted his roommates that he was 'going to be gone for a while'.
Carlson, who shared a North Minneapolis home with Boelter, tearfully read aloud text messages from the accused assassin.
'David and Ron, I love you guys,' the eerie note began. 'I made some choices, and you guys don't know anything about this, but I'm going to be gone for a while.'
He also said he 'may be dead shortly' and did not wish to involve Carlson or his other roommate Ron Ramsey.
Still, Carlson said he was shocked by the news.
'I don't know why he did what he did,' he told KARE 11.
'It's just... it's not Vance... He had lots of friends, trust me, and I wish I could have been there to stop him.'
Boelter is now facing both state and federal charges, with authorities announcing on Sunday that there is both a 'nationwide warrant' for Boelter's arrest for the murders and attempted murder at the state level as well as a federal warrant for 'unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.'
In the meantime, the community is rallying around Hoffman and his wife.
The Parent Teacher Organization for Fernbrook Elementary School in Maple Grove, where Yvette works, even set up an online fundraiser for their medical expenses.
'Our heart s are heavy as we share devastating news regarding a cherished member of our Flyer family, Yvette Hoffman and her husband Sen. John Hoffman,' Principal Jeff Zastrow wrote.
'Mrs. Hoffman is an invaluable part of our Fernbrook community, tirelessly dedicating her time and energy as a support professional. She brings joy, compassion and unwavering support to our students, staff and families every day.'
'As the PTO, we believe in the power of our AMAZING community to rally around those in need,' he continued, adding that the GoFundMe will 'provide immediate and ongoing support to Mrs. Hoffman and Senator Hoffman.'