Former State Assembly Speaker. Husband was killed in politically targeted shooting
Bryan, Minn. (AP) – Former state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and injured in a politically motivated assassination, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said. Hours after the target killing, authorities are actively looking for suspicious suspects.
“We have to fight all forms of political violence in Minnesota and across the country,” Waltz said in a news conference Saturday. “The people responsible for this will be responsible.”
The injured congressman was identified as Democratic state Senator John Hoffman, who was first elected in 2012. He previously served as vice chairman of the Anoka Hennepin school board, which manages Minnesota's largest school district. Hoffman is married and has a daughter representing an area north of Minneapolis.
Hortman is the top Democratic leader of the state legislature and former House Speaker. She was first elected in 2004. She and her husband have two children.
Criminal Arrests Director Drew Evans said authorities are actively looking for suspects.
Evans said an autopsy will be conducted to determine the extent of the injury, but Hotman and her spouse died of gunshot wounds. The “Sanctuary” order came into effect earlier Saturday.
Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said the suspect was working as a law enforcement officer.
“The suspects took advantage of the trust of our uniforms, the intention of our uniforms. Betrayal was deeply uneasy for those of us who wore badges with honor and responsibility,” he said.
Police Chief Mark Bruley said the suspect fled the back of the Hotman's house after exchanging gunshots with police.
Bruley said the suspect dressed up like a uniformed officer and operated a car that “looks exactly like a SUV team.”
President Donald Trump said in a statement from the White House that the FBI will join the investigation.
“Our Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI are investigating the situation and they will prosecute anyone to the greatest extent of the law. In the United States of America, this horrible violence will not be tolerated. God bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly good place!”
Minnesota Speaker Lisa DeMuth, a Republican from Cold Springs, called the attack “evil” and said the killing of Hotman and her husband Mark “beyond the words.”
“As law enforcement continues to respond and details continue to rise, I will simply ask all Minnesotans to lift the victims of the terrorist attack, and law enforcement officers are still working to arrest the victims of the perpetrators,” Demuth said in a statement.
The shooting occurred when national political leaders were attacked, harassed and intimidated during a period of deep political divisions.
Giffords, a national gun violence group led by former U.S. Congressman Gabrielle Giffords, issued the following statement.
“My family and I are well aware of the horror of target shooting,” Gifford said. “The attack on lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself. Leaders must speak out and condemn the violent extremism that threatens everything this country represents.”
Giffords was killed by a gunman in 2011, killing six people and injured 12 others. She resigned from Congress in January 2012 and focused on recovery.
