A manhunt is underway in Minnesota after two state lawmakers were targeted in what Governor Tim Walz described as an “act of targeted political violence”. Melissa Hortman, 55, a Democrat and House Speaker, and her husband were killed in Brooklyn Park, a city near Minneapolis. John Hoffman, 60, also a Democrat and a state senator, and his wife were shot several times at their home about 15km away in a related attack. Hoffman is out of surgery and stable.
The suspect, identified as Vance Luther Boelter, 57, is believed to be impersonating a police officer and was driving a car that resembles a police vehicle equipped with emergency lights. Police said he tricked his way into the victims’ homes using a false badge and uniform. A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
Authorities are warning people in the area not to answer their door for a police officer unless there are two officers together. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said police are engaged in an “extensive manhunt” alongside the FBI, SWAT, and hundreds of police officers.
Governor Tim Walz activated the State Emergency Operations Center in response to the shootings, saying Minnesota had lost a “great leader and I lost the dearest of friends”. He called Hortman “a formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota”, saying “she woke up every day determined to make the state a better place”.
Former Vice-President Al Gore paid tribute to Hortman, who briefly worked for him while he was a member of the US Senate. “Though she was only there for a short time, she had a lasting impact,” said Mr. Gore. “There is absolutely no excuse for political violence.”
US President Donald Trump said “such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” and authorities would be “prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law”. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added that she was “heartbroken” by the targeted shootings, saying “this climate of politically-motivated violence must end”.
Hortman was an attorney who served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2004 and as House Speaker from 2019 to 2025. She led efforts to protect women’s rights, invest in clean energy, and secure free school lunch for kids. In 2020, she became an advocate for policing reform in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, successfully helping to enact a state ban on police choke holds that caused Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.