One Minnesota lawmaker and her spouse were fatally shot and a second lawmaker and his spouse were injured in separate “targeted shootings” at their homes in eastern Minnesota, officials said.
Gov. Tim Walz said the shootings appear to be “politically motivated” and “targeted political violence.”
Walz at a news conference identified the slain lawmaker as State Rep. Melissa Hortman of Brooklyn Park and her husband, Mark, while state Sen. John Hoffman of Champlin and his wife, Yvette, were injured. Both were members of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.
Authorities said that the shooter may have been impersonating law enforcement, and went to the lawmakers’ respective homes, located about 8 miles apart in suburbs north of Minneapolis.
In a social media post, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called the shootings “a stunning act of violence.”
“I’m thankful for all the law enforcement who are responding in real time,” she wrote on X. “My prayers are with the Hortman and Hoffman families. Both legislators are close friends and devoted to their families and public service.”
Earlier Saturday, Walz said on X that he was briefed about the “targeted shootings,” and said the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement were on the scene.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department issued a shelter-in-place alert for an area surrounding the Edinburgh Golf Course Saturday morning in its quest for a suspect, NBC affiliate KARE 11 reported.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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