Impersonating officer fatally shoots lawmaker and spouse: Police report

A prominent Minnesota public figure and her spouse have been killed. Additionally, another notable lawmaker and his wife were harmed in an attack, state officials reported on Saturday, calling the incidents “extremely troubling.”

Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were killed in an overnight shooting at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot early on Saturday. Both Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman are part of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, with Hortman having held the position of state House speaker from 2019 until the beginning of this year.

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Speaking during a Saturday news briefing, Gov. Tim Walz decried the “targeted political violence.” He also, along with other public safety officials, revealed that the person who killed the Hortmans (and likely wounded the Hoffmans) was impersonating a police officer.

The events from police’s perspective unfolded like this: The Champlin Police Department responded at about 2 a.m. on Saturday to a shooting in their city and were assisted by the Brooklyn Park Police Department, whose headquarters is just to its south. A Champlin police sergeant told his commanding officers that the shooting took place at the home of the Hoffmans, and Brooklyn Park Police, according to Chief Mark Bruley, “proactively” went to check on the Hortmans. It was at this residence they came across a startling sight.

Two officers arrived at the home at about 3:30 a.m. to find a “police vehicle” with emergency lights on in the Hortmans’ driveway, with “what appeared to be a police officer at the door coming out of the house,” Bruley said, noting the person was wearing a vest with a taser, a badge, and other equipment.

“When our officers confronted them, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home,” he added, saying the individual was “clearly” someone impersonating an officer in order to “manipulate their way into the home.”

The suspect was able to run away, likely through the back door, and a manhunt ensued. Thousands of people have been ordered to shelter in place, authorities said, and hundreds of police and SWAT officers are searching nearby areas.

When police officers entered the home, they found a man, believed to be Mark Hortman, who had been struck by gunfire. He was dragged out of the home so first aid could be performed, but he was pronounced dead shortly after. Police entered again with a drone and found a woman, believed to be the body of Melissa Hortman.

The Hoffmans were each shot multiple times, authorities said, and they were rushed to the hospital and placed into surgery. They have since emerged, and Walz said he is “cautiously optimistic” they will survive.

When police searched the suspect’s vehicle, they said they found a list of individuals, which included the lawmakers who were shot, leading authorities to suggest there was just one suspect and that this suspect had further plans. Authorities condemned the violence and “cowardly” actions of the shooter.

“The suspect exploited the trust of our uniforms — that our uniforms are meant to represent,” Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety Bob Jacobson said on Saturday. “That betrayal is deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility.”

Walz said he and all Minnesota’s public officials are “committed to keeping Minnesotans informed.”

“I assure you that those responsible for this will be held accountable, and each and every one of us are committed to making sure that a tragedy like this never repeats itself in Minnesota or across this country,” the governor added.