A politically motivated attack on two Minnesota state lawmakers left one dead and another critically injured on Saturday. Governor Tim Walz described the incident as an assassination attempt.
Following a large-scale manhunt, suspect Vance Luther Boelter was apprehended in rural woodland. He faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder.
State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot at their home. Hortman, a 20-year veteran of the Minnesota House of Representatives, served as Speaker from 2019 to 2025. During her tenure, the Minnesota legislature passed several significant pieces of legislation, including expansions of abortion rights and the legalization of recreational marijuana. She was also known for bipartisan collaborations; a final vote before the attack saw her supporting a Republican-backed bill provision restricting undocumented immigrants’ access to the state’s low-income healthcare program.
State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times but survived, undergoing subsequent surgeries. Mrs. Hoffman, in a social media statement, described their survival as “incredibly lucky,” noting they sustained a combined 17 gunshot wounds and expressed profound grief for Hortman and her husband.
Both lawmakers were Democrats. Law enforcement confirmed the attacks occurred early Saturday in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, Minnesota. Initial calls to police were received at approximately 2:00 AM local time regarding the Hoffmans’ residence in Champlin, followed by a call at 3:35 AM concerning the Hortmans’ home in nearby Brooklyn Park. The suspect, posing as a police officer, engaged officers in gunfire before fleeing the scene.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley stated the suspect was wearing a tactical vest, equipment, and a badge to gain entry to the homes. The attacks drew widespread condemnation. President Trump denounced the violence, while Senator Amy Klobuchar called it an attack on democracy itself.
Police identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, a former political appointee who previously served on the same state workforce development board as Senator Hoffman. Investigators discovered a list of approximately 70 potential targets, including prominent Minnesota Democratic politicians, in a vehicle associated with the suspect. This list reportedly included Governor Walz, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Senators Klobuchar and Smith, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Planned Parenthood locations. While investigators found a list of targets, authorities refrained from characterizing a notebook found as a “manifesto.”
Boelter’s online presence reveals a background as a security contractor, religious missionary (including pastoring in the Democratic Republic of Congo), and employment with various Minnesota businesses. His criminal record in Minnesota appears limited to traffic violations. A troubling text message sent to friends prior to the attacks indicated his awareness of potential dire consequences. He was apprehended Sunday evening in a rural area near Green Isle following a large-scale manhunt described by authorities as the state’s largest.
Boelter was taken into custody without incident and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. Authorities confirmed Boelter acted alone and stressed the seriousness of his impersonation of a police officer. Governor Walz issued a plea for civility and unity in the wake of this tragedy.
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Hortman and her husband were killed and Hoffman and his wife injured in what officials called “targeted political violence”.
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