Early Saturday morning, news broke that Minnesota had been the target of two politically motivated attacks on its lawmakers. A gunman, identified as Vance Boelter, killed Democratic state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, leaving another state legislator, John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, injured.
In response to the violence, Democratic Governor Tim Walz called the shootings an act of “political assassination.” The FBI has named Boelter, a 57-year-old former workforce development board appointee, as the main suspect who remains at large.
The gunman used a vehicle resembling an SUV police squad car to approach the homes of the legislators in Brooklyn Park and Champlin. Boelter’s motivations appeared to be politically charged and included anti-abortion sentiments, although he claimed to have “no party preference” on his documents and social media. Boelter had a list of targets, including lawmakers, community leaders, doctors, and Planned Parenthood locations.
Despite the violent incidents, some protests in the area were either cancelled or continued peacefully, with attendees showing support for Hortman and Hoffman. The shootings highlight the divide in Minnesota’s state house, which was equally split between Republicans and Democrats before Hortman’s death. The Democrats hold a one-vote majority in the state senate. The Brooklyn Park police lifted a shelter-in-place order, but the search for Boelter remains ongoing.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/14/minnesota-lawmakers-shooting-explainer
