Melissa Hortman, a Democratic state assemblywoman, and her husband Mark have been assassinated by a gunman disguised as a police officer.
In what officials have called a politically motivated attack, the couple were shot dead at their Minnesota home early on Saturday morning.
The shooter had earlier attacked Senator John Hoffman and his wife at their nearby residence before driving to the Hortmans’ home.
Minnesota Governor and failed 2024 vice presidential candidate Tim Walz confirmed both attacks, describing them as targeted political violence.
PICTURED: Armed police at the entrance to the Edinburgh Golf Club
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The suspect fled on foot after exchanging gunfire with police, abandoning a vehicle containing what officers described as a “manifesto” listing other legislators and officials.
Law enforcement officials said there were “people of interest that we are looking for” as a major FBI-backed search continued for the gunman.
The Hoffmans underwent surgery after being shot multiple times.
Governor Walz said he had been “cautiously optimistic” they would survive “this assassination attempt.”
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Law enforcement officials said there were ‘people of interest that we are looking for’
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The nationwide “No Kings” coalition cancelled planned anti-Trump demonstrations in Minnesota following the shootings. The attacks occurred amid what officials described as a surge in US political violence in recent years – including an assassination attempt against Donald Trump last summer.
Tump said he was briefed on the “terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers”.
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!” Trump said in a statement.
While Walz added: “Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.”
Tim Walz
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Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said a “very intuitive” police sergeant responding to the Hoffman attack asked colleagues to “proactively” check the Hortmans’ residence.
Two officers arriving at the scene noticed what appeared to be a police vehicle with emergency lights on and an individual dressed as an officer leaving the home.
“The suspect immediately fired upon the officers, who exchanged gunfire and the suspect retreated back into the home,” Bruley said. The gunman wore a vest with a taser, police equipment and a badge.
