Minnesota legislator slain, another wounded in ‘politically targeted’ attacks

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — Hundreds of law enforcement officers fanned out across a Minneapolis suburb Saturday in pursuit of a man who authorities say posed as a police officer and fatally shot a Democratic state lawmaker in her home in what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called “a politically motivated assassination.” Authorities say the same suspect also shot and wounded a second lawmaker and was believed to be trying to flee the area.

Minnesota state House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home. State Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin residence, about nine miles away.

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said at an afternoon news conference that authorities were looking for 57-year-old Vance Boelter, whom he identified as the suspect.

Authorities displayed a photo of Boelter wearing a tan cowboy hat that was taken Saturday and asked the public to report sightings. Evans said investigators have obtained video as well.

He did not give details on a possible motive.

Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, state records show, though it wasn’t clear whether or how well they knew each other.

The early-morning attacks targeting lawmakers in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis prompted warnings to other elected officials around the state and the cancellation of planned “No Kings” demonstrations against President Trump. Authorities say the suspect had “No Kings” fliers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the victims as well as other lawmakers and officials, though they could not say whether he had any other specific targets.

The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated amid deep ideological divisions.

“We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,” Walz said at a news conference Saturday. “Those responsible for this will be held accountable.”

Law enforcement has recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect’s vehicle, and he’s believed to still be armed with a pistol, one of the people familiar with the matter told the AP.

An overnight shooting

Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Hoffmans’ home shortly after 2 a.m., Champlin police said, and found the lawmaker and his wife, Yvette, with multiple gunshot wounds.

After discovering who the victims were, police sent officers to check on Hortman’s home, where they encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle and a man dressed as an officer at the door, leaving the house.

“When officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home” and escaped, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said.

Bullet holes could be seen in the front door of the Hoffmans’ home.

President Trump said in a White House statement that the FBI would join in the investigation.

“Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”

Hortman, 55, had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since 2017. She led House Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year’s session in a power struggle with Republicans. Under a power-sharing agreement, she turned the speakership over to the top Republican, Rep. Lisa Demuth, and assumed the title speaker emerita.

Two Democratic lawmakers targeted

Walz described Hortman as a “formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota every day, determined to make this state a better place.”

“She is irreplaceable,” he said.

Hortman and her husband had two adult children.

Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and played a key role as chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget.

State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic asked people “out of an abundance of caution” not to attend any of the “No Kings” protests that were scheduled across the state on Saturday. Bogojevic said authorities didn’t have any direct evidence that the protests would be targeted, but said the suspect had some “No Kings” fliers in their car. Organizers announced that all of the protests scheduled in Minnesota were canceled.

The suspect

Boelter was appointed to the workforce development board by then-Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton in 2016 and was reappointed in 2019 by Walz to a four-year term that expired in 2023, state records show.

State corporate records show Boelter’s wife filed to create a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services with the same Green Isle mailing address listed for the couple. On a website for the business, Boelter’s wife is listed as the president and CEO while he is listed as the director of security patrols.

The company’s homepage says it provides armed security for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black-and-silver pattern similar to a police vehicle, with a light bar across the roof and “Praetorian” painted across the doors. Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest with the company’s name across the front.

An online resume says Boelter is a security contractor who has worked oversees in the Middle East and Africa, in addition to past managerial roles at companies in Minnesota.

Massive search effort underway

Hours after the shootings, hundreds of police officers and sheriff’s deputies from agencies in the region, some in tactical gear with assault-style weapons, were scattered through the town.

An alert sent to cellphones asked residents to continue sheltering in place as police were still looking for a suspect “who is armed and dangerous.”

“Suspect is white male, brown hair, wearing black body armor over blue shirt and blue pants and may misrepresent himself as law enforcement. Do not approach. Call 911,” the alert said.

Some roadblocks had been set up in which authorities stopped and checked vehicles.

“This is crazy, someone going after representatives. This is wrong. I’m hoping they’ll catch them,” said Brooklyn Park resident Douglas Thompson, 62.

Demuth, the Republican House speaker, called the attack “evil” and said she was “heartbroken beyond words” by the killings of Hortman and her husband.

“With the law enforcement response ongoing and details still emerging, I will simply ask all Minnesotans to please lift up in prayer the victims of this horrific attack, as well as the law enforcement personnel still working to apprehend the perpetrator,” Demuth said in a statement.

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, leader of Giffords, a national gun violence prevention group, said in a statement: “I am horrified and heartbroken by last night’s attack on two patriotic public servants. My family and I know the horror of a targeted shooting all too well. An attack against lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself. Leaders must speak out and condemn the fomenting violent extremism that threatens everything this country stands for.”

Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, was shot in the head in 2011 by a gunman who killed six people and injured 12 others. She stepped down from Congress in January 2012 to focus on her recovery.

Political violence

The shootings are the latest in a series of violent attacks against lawmakers across parties in recent years.

In April, an assailant set fire to the home of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, forcing him and his family to flee the building during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The suspect told law enforcement that he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he found him, according to court documents.

In July 2024, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Trump was grazed on the ear by one of a hail of bullets that killed a supporter. Two months later, a man with a rifle was discovered in some shrubbery near Trump’s golf course in Florida and arrested by Secret Service agents.

Other high-profile attacks in recent years have included a 2022 hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside their San Francisco home, and a 2020 plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home and start a civil war.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Saturday that he has asked Capitol Police to “immediately increase security” for Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats.

Schumer said he had also asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, to hold a briefing for senators on member security.

“Condemning violence is important but it is not enough,” Schumer said in a post on X. “We must also confront the toxic forces radicalizing individuals and we must do more to protect one another, our democracy, and the values that bind us as Americans.”

Sullivan and Durkin Richer write for the Associated Press and reported from Brooklyn Park and Washington, respectively. AP writers Giovanna Dell’Orto in Champlin and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.