June 14, 2025

Minnesota Senator John Hoffman and State Representative Melissa Hortman, along with their spouses, were shot by a man dressed as a police officer in body armor who showed up at their homes in Brooklyn Park and Champlin.

"I've been briefed this morning on an ongoing situation involving targeted shootings in Champlin and Brooklyn Park," Gov. Tim Walz said in a social media post. "The Minnesota Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement are on the scene. We will share more information soon."

"I’ve activated the State Emergency Operations Center," he wrote in a separate tweet. "Local law enforcement in Champlin and Brooklyn Park have the full resources of the State of Minnesota behind them. We are monitoring the situation closely and will share more information soon."

According to one source, the first shooting happened just after 2 a.m. on Saturday at Senator John Hoffman's home, and he suffered at least two gunshot wounds. His wife, Yvette, was shot three times.

The second shooting took place just a few miles away at State Representative Melissa Hortman's home. Both Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot. It is now confirmed they are both dead.

Donald J. Trump has not mentioned the targeted attack on two Democrats yet. Trump's Truth Social post a few minutes ago:

"OUR GREAT MILITARY PARADE IS ON, RAIN OR SHINE. REMEMBER, A RAINY DAY PERADE BRINGS GOOD LUCK. I’LL SEE YOU ALL IN D.C."

Yes, he spelled it "perade." Meanwhile, two Democrats are in grave condition.

UPDATE:

State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, are dead.

Vance Boelter, the suspect in the Minnesota assassination and attempted assassination, had a public association with a business based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In this video, he is seen preaching to a congregation at an evangelical church in Matadi, located in southwestern DRC.

Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yasharali.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T20:25:57.638Z

NEW: The suspect in the Minnesota shooting of Democratic state legislators is linked to a security company and evangelical ministry.

According to his ministry's website, he “sought out militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn't the answer.”

Leah Feiger (@leahfeiger.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T19:52:55.643Z

Walz announces that Rep. Melissa Hortman is dead as a result of a "politically motivated assassination"

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-06-14T14:49:31.848Z

The gunman had a cruiser and full uniform including badge and taser and was not hesitant about opening fire when confronted by cops.

Helen Kennedy (@helenkennedy.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T15:10:56.587Z

Strib coverage is in front of their paywall. Please follow their coverage and resist the urge to speculate about *anything* about the attack itself.

www.startribune.com/brooklyn-par...

Subscribe to the Past Due Podcast (@anamariecox.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T15:28:22.386Z

Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated last night, was the Speaker of the Minnesota House in the 2023-2024 session, when Democrats ran the state government.

That means she had a leading role in shepherding the many landmark reforms that Dems adopted in that period—an important legacy. Brief 🧵.

Taniel (@taniel.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T15:51:18.739Z

Can you help us out?

For over 20 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but social media is limiting our ability to attract new readers. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon