Washington, June 15 (IANS) A gunman killed a Minnesota lawmaker and wounded another in coordinated attacks, marking the first successful politically motivated killing of state legislators in the US midwestern state’s modern history.
Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband were shot dead at their home in Brooklyn Park at 3:35 a.m. local time early Saturday morning, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said.
State Senator John Hoffman, 60, and his wife were critically wounded in a separate attack at their Champlin residence at approximately 2:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT), about 13 km away, reports Xinhua news agency.
“This was an act of targeted political violence,” Walz said at a Saturday press conference, calling Hortman’s death “a politically motivated assassination.”
The suspect, identified as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, remains at large despite a massive manhunt involving hundreds of officers from federal, state and local agencies.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has offered a 50,000 US-dollar reward for information leading to his arrest.
Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson described Boelter as 1.85 meters tall with brown hair, last seen wearing a light-coloured cowboy hat and a dark long-sleeve shirt.
“You should consider him armed and dangerous, and you should call 911 immediately,” Jacobson said.
Police received reports of gunfire at the Hoffman residence in Champlin, and an “intuitive sergeant” then directed officers to proactively check on Hortman’s home for her safety, said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.
When officers arrived at the Hortman residence, they encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle with emergency lights and a man dressed as a police officer emerging from the house.
“The individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated into the home,” Bruley told reporters. The suspect then fled on foot through the back door.
Authorities discovered crucial evidence in the abandoned fake police vehicle, including a manifesto containing approximately 70 names of potential targets.
“There was a list of individuals, and the individuals that were targeted in the situation were on that list,” Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said.
Officials also disclosed that fliers connected to planned “No Kings” protests were found inside Boelter’s vehicle.
Law enforcement sources told multiple news outlets that the target list focused on prominent pro-choice advocates in Minnesota, including Democratic lawmakers, abortion providers and activists.
The list reportedly included Governor Walz, US Representative Ilhan Omar, Senator Tina Smith, and State Attorney General Keith Ellison, ABC News reported, citing sources.
Boelter’s background reveals concerning professional credentials. He served as director of security patrols at a private security company and had security experience in conflict zones including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Southern Lebanon.
Most troubling, he was appointed more than once to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, providing him with insider knowledge of state operations.
The suspect employed sophisticated tactics throughout the attacks. Sources told ABC News that Boelter wore realistic latex masks during the shootings and used a fake police SUV equipped with emergency lights, sirens and law enforcement equipment to gain access to the victims’ homes.
Brooklyn Park Police on Saturday morning issued a shelter-in-place order for residents within a 4.8-km radius of Edinburgh Golf Course, warning them not to open doors for lone police officers and to call 911 to verify any officer’s identity. The order was lifted at 3:30 p.m. local time after authorities determined the suspect was no longer in the area.
US President Donald Trump called the shootings “horrific violence” and said US Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI would prosecute “anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law,” said a White House statement.
Hortman served as Minnesota House Speaker from 2019 to 2025 and was the chamber’s top Democratic leader. The killing leaves the Minnesota House evenly split 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans. Hoffman, first elected in 2012, chaired the State Senate Human Services Committee.
All Minnesota state lawmakers have been placed under protective custody while the investigation continues. The suspect remains armed with a pistol and should not be approached, authorities warned.
Officials urged people not to attend dozens of planned “No Kings” protests across the state out of an abundance of caution. But, thousands still reportedly took to the streets in St. Paul, the state capital of Minnesota, on Saturday.
–IANS
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