Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Saturday morning that state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband are dead, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife are wounded following a “politically motivated” shooting overnight.
Hortman and her husband were shot in Brooklyn Park, while Hoffman and his wife were shot in Champlin.
At a Saturday morning press conference, Walz called the deaths of Hortman and her husband “a political assassination.”
“Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service,” Walz said. “She was a formidable public servant. A fixture and a giant in Minnesota.”
Walz said Hoffman and his wife were each shot multiple times.
Minnesota Legislature
“We are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt,” Walz said.
Additional information on a suspected shooter or shooters was not immediately available. WCCO has confirmed that ATF agents responded to the situation and are participating in the manhunt.
Legislators were alerted this morning and those in the metro area were told to take extra safety precautions. The executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, in a Facebook post, said that “an evil coward dressed as a protector, went to the homes of two Minnesota elected officials and shot them.”
Minnesota police agencies and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are currently leading the investigation, officials report.
CBS News has also reached out to the FBI and other agencies for comment.
Hortman represented Minnesota House District 34B, and Hoffman Minnesota Senate District 34.
Organizers for the planned “No Kings” protest in Northeast Minneapolis said the event would be canceled due to the shootings and shelter-in-place.
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the communities impacted by this violence,” organizers said. “Some events in other parts of the greater Minneapolis area are still moving forward at this time, and we are actively monitoring the situation.”
This story will be updated.
Anna Schecter and
contributed to this report.
