GG News Bureau
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 15th June: Police in Minnesota have launched a massive search after State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were tragically shot dead in their home early Saturday. Officials are calling it a “politically-motivated assassination.”
The same suspect also reportedly attacked State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, shooting each of them multiple times. “The Hoffmans are out of surgery at this time and receiving care, and we are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told a news conference Saturday.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shootings. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI are now leading the investigation.
Suspect Identified Amidst Manhunt
Law enforcement sources, including Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley, have identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. Boelter reportedly works as a security patrol director for Praetorian Guard Security, and his company’s website states he has US Military training.
Authorities are searching for a man wearing black body armor and a blue shirt, who may have pretended to be a law enforcement officer. He is also thought to be carrying a Taser, a badge, and other police-like equipment. Authorities believe he is on foot.
“Politically-Motivated Assassination”
Governor Walz stated that the attacks seem to be a “politically-motivated assassination.” Investigators searching the suspect’s car found a manifesto containing a hit list of nearly 70 names. An official briefed on the matter told CNN that this list included abortion providers, pro-abortion advocates, and lawmakers from Minnesota and other states.
Senator Amy Klobuchar reacted to the news, expressing her horror. “This is a stunning act of violence. I’m thankful for all the law enforcement who are responding in real time,” she wrote on social media. “My prayers are with the Hortman and Hoffman families. Both legislators are close friends and devoted to their families and public service.”
The two shootings took place in Champlin and Brooklyn Park. The Brooklyn Park Police Department issued a shelter-in-place order for a three-mile radius around the Edinburgh Golf Course Saturday morning.
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a survivor of a targeted shooting in 2011 and head of a gun violence prevention organization, issued a strong statement. She said she was “horrified and heartbroken by last night’s attack on two patriotic public servants.” Giffords emphasized that “An attack against lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself,” urging leaders to “speak out and condemn the fomenting violent extremism that threatens everything this country stands for.”
Senator Hoffman, a Democrat, was first elected in 2012. Representative Hortman, a lawyer and former House Speaker, was first elected in 2004 and became the top House Democratic leader in the state Legislature.
