A Minnesota state representative and her husband have been shot and killed in what Governor Tim Walz has called a "politically motivated attack".
On the eve of Donald Trump's military birthday parade. which is being protested across the country, State Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband Mark were shot and killed after a man entered their home pretending to be a police officer.
Vance Boelter, 57, has been identified as the shooting suspect by law enforcement; he was a government employee appointed by Walz in 2019 to serve a four-year stint on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board.
© Alamy Stock PhotoThe 55-year-old former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, "was a formidable public servant," the governor said of his friend. "She is irreplaceable."
Melissa was a mom to two children.
A state senator, John Hoffman, a 60-year-old Democrat, and his wife Yvette were also shot by the same gunman, and have undergone surgery, and Tim shared that they are "cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt".
A manhunt is underway for the shooter, identified as Vance, who was dressed as a policeman and had a police car.
Superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Drew Evans told press that after Hoffman and his wife were shot around 2 am in Champlin, police went to check on Hortman when they encountered the suspect at her home around 3:35 am. Gunfire was exchanged and the suspect escaped on foot, authorities said.
Evans also confirmed the gunman exchanged words with police, but has not shared the details.
During a press conference it was also revealed that a list of other possible targets was retrieved from the car, with "many lawmakers," named.
© Getty ImagesSecurity resources have been dispatched to protect those individuals on the list, authorities said.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting but has not shared any statement, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on social media and said "such horrific violence will not be tolerated".
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she's closely monitoring the situation.
"This horrific violence will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," she said in a statement.
Born in 1970, Melissa studied Boston University, before getting her law degree at the University of Minnesota 1995, and a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2018.
She interned in the United States Senate for Al Gore and John Kerry, and clerked for Judge John Sommerville while in law school, and was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2004, retaining her seat in every election since.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, formerly the Minnesota Democratic party chair, called Melissa a "leader in every sense of word".
In a statement, he shared: "Speaker Hortman was a leader in every sense of the word -- from ushering in free lunch for our kids, to protecting women’s rights and reproductive care, to standing up for Minnesota families.
"Melissa was also a close friend whom I've known since the very start of her political career. She was someone I personally relied on for advice, counsel, and friendship and I am beyond words. As I said many times when I introduced her at events, she is the very best Speaker of the House that Minnesota has ever had."
