Minnesota Lawmaker, Husband Killed in ‘Targeted Shootings’; Another Lawmaker, Spouse Wounded

The gunman, reportedly posing as a police officer, remains at large as Gov. Tim Walz activates emergency response.

Law enforcement officers including local police, sheriffs and the FBI, stage less than a mile from a shooting in Brooklyn Park, Minn. on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP

A Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were fatally shot, and another lawmaker and his wife were wounded in separate early-morning attacks Saturday that officials described as acts of “targeted political violence.”

The victims were Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman of Champlin, and state Rep. and Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman of Brooklyn Park, according to Champlin Mayor Ryan Sabas.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Senator Hoffman, his family, and Representative Hortman and her family,” Sabas said in a statement on June 14. “The actions that took place this morning are nothing short of pure evil.”

Speaking at a June 14 press conference, Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said investigators believe the same gunman was responsible for both incidents.

Evans said officers received a call around 2 a.m. reporting that Hoffman and his wife had been shot in their home.

After officers responded and were processing the scene of the crime, others were proactively dispatched to check on Hortman, whose home is several miles away.

Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said that the officers dispatched to check in on Hortman around 3:30 a.m. encountered what appeared to be a police car outside her home with lights flashing. They encountered the suspect dressed as a police officer, who immediately, upon seeing them, engaged them with gunfire.

The individual then fled. A manhunt is now underway, Evans said, and the investigation is ongoing.

Bruley clarified that the suspect “was not a real police officer.”

“It was somebody that clearly had been impersonating a police officer, again, using the trust of the badge and this uniform to manipulate their way into the home,” Bruley said.

The police chief added that a search of the suspect’s vehicle uncovered a manifesto and hit list.

“When we did a search of the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials,” Bruley said. “We immediately made alerts to the state. We took action on alerting them and providing security where necessary.”

In a follow-up press briefing by the Minnesota Department of Safety, officials said that “No Kings” flyers were found in the suspect’s car, and urged Minnesotans not to attend any political events in the state out of an abundance of caution.

Walz also urged the public not to attend any political rallies in Minnesota until the suspect—who has yet to be officially identified—is apprehended.

Multiple so-called “No Kings” demonstrations are scheduled to take place in multiple states on Saturday, with the events meant to serve as platforms for protests against the Trump administration’s policies.

During the presser, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz confirmed the deaths of Hortman and her husband, Mark, calling the attack “an unspeakable tragedy.”

“My good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination,” Walz said.

(Left) Melissa Hortman. (Right) John Hoffman. Minnesota Legislature via CNN Newsource

The governor added that Hoffman and his wife had undergone surgery after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. “We are cautiously optimistic that they will survive this assassination attempt,” he said, reiterating that authorities were treating the shootings as “targeted political violence.”

Walz also announced that the State Emergency Operations Center had been activated to support the response. “Local law enforcement in Champlin and Brooklyn Park have the full resources of the State of Minnesota behind them,” he wrote in a follow-up statement. “We are monitoring the situation closely and will share more information soon.”

A shelter-in-place alert was sent on Saturday morning by the Brooklyn Park Police Department, which noted that the gunman “may misrepresent himself as law enforcement.”

“BKP PD issuing shelter in place order in three-mile radius of Edinburgh Golf Course for emergency event. Police are looking for a suspect in multiple targeted shootings 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,” reads the alert.

Law enforcement officers including local police, sheriffs, and the FBI, stage less than a mile from a shooting in Brooklyn Park, Minn., on June 14, 2025. Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP

Hoffman, a Democrat first elected in 2012, runs a consulting firm called Hoffman Strategic Advisors. He previously served as vice chair of the Anoka-Hennepin School Board, Minnesota’s largest school district. Hoffman is married and has one daughter.

Hortman, the top Democratic leader in the Minnesota House and a former speaker, was first elected in 2004. A lawyer by training, she is married with two children.

Both lawmakers represent districts in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis.

President Donald Trump, who has been briefed on the incident, said in a post on social media that the Justice Department and the FBI are investigating 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,” he wrote. “God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”

Former President Joe Biden also weighed in on the tragedy.

“This heinous attack motivated by politics should never happen in America,” Biden wrote on social media. “We must give hate and extremism no safe harbor and we must all unite against political violence as a nation.”

House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) denounced the violence.

“The targeted shootings of Minnesota Senator John Hoffman and State Rep. Melissa Hortman are deeply disturbing. Violence is never acceptable,” Jeffries wrote in a post on social media.

“Praying hard for the victims and all who have been affected.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Brooklyn Park Police Department for more information.