On June 14, 2025, Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman, a former House Speaker, and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot at their home in Brooklyn Park in what Governor Tim Walz described as a “politically motivated assassination.” State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot and wounded at their home in Champlin, approximately five miles away, around 2 a.m. Both are recovering after surgery, with Walz expressing cautious optimism about their survival.
The suspect, who remains at large, impersonated a police officer, wearing a uniform with a badge, vest, and Taser, and drove a vehicle resembling a police SUV equipped with emergency lights. Police encountered the suspect at Hortman’s home around 3:35 a.m., where gunfire was exchanged before the suspect fled on foot. A “manifesto” and a list of other lawmakers and officials, including U.S. Senator Tina Smith, were found in the suspect’s vehicle, prompting increased security for those named.
A manhunt is underway involving local police, the FBI, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Brooklyn Park remains under a shelter-in-place order, and residents are advised not to open doors to lone individuals claiming to be police officers, as officers are working in pairs. Authorities have urged the public to avoid planned “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration, citing safety concerns, and the Minnesota State Patrol noted “No Kings” flyers in the suspect’s vehicle.
President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and other officials condemned the shootings, with Trump calling them a “targeted attack against state lawmakers” and promising prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. The incidents have drawn widespread condemnation as part of a rising trend of political violence in the U.S.
