MINNESOTA – Minnesota is in shock after the deaths of Melissa Hortman, 55, former House Speaker and leading Democrat, and her husband, Mark. The couple were killed in their Brooklyn Park home early on Saturday.
The FBI is now helping local police with a large-scale search for Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who is wanted for the attack. Authorities have announced a $50,000 reward for information that leads to his capture and conviction.
Governor Tim Walz called the killings a “political assassination”, and the news has left many across the state feeling uneasy.
The violence began around 2 a.m. when police in Champlin responded to gunshots at the home of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, about nine miles from the Hortmans’ address. Both Hoffmans suffered multiple gunshot wounds and are now in the hospital, recovering after surgery, but are still in serious condition.
After hearing about the attack at the Hoffmans’, Brooklyn Park police checked on the Hortman home. Officers found a police-style SUV with its lights on outside and a man dressed as an officer coming out of the house.
When officers challenged him, the man, later identified as Boelter, fired at them, then ran back inside before escaping on foot.
Inside, police found Mark Hortman, who had been shot and was later declared dead. Officers used a drone to search the property, where they found Melissa Hortman also dead. Investigators believe Boelter dressed as a police officer to gain entry.
Governor Walz addressed the press, visibly moved, saying the deaths were a political attack and ordered all flags to half-mast. He described Hortman as a dedicated leader and a personal friend, saying she worked tirelessly to improve Minnesota.
Melissa Hortman, a respected lawyer and long-serving politician, led the Minnesota House from 2019 to 2025. First elected in 2004, she has been the state’s top Democratic legislator since 2017. She leaves behind two grown children.
Her time as Speaker included notable achievements, such as passing universal free school meals and a red flag gun law. Leaders from both parties expressed deep sadness and condemned the attack. Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth called the event “evil” and said she was “heartbroken beyond words”.
Police found several AK-style rifles in Boelter’s vehicle, which looked like a police car and was parked close to the Hortmans’ home.
They also discovered a list containing the names of well-known politicians and “No Kings” flyers, linked to upcoming protests against former President Trump. Officials say the motive is not yet clear, but sources revealed that the list included supporters of abortion rights.
The ongoing search for Boelter involves the FBI, U.S. Marshals, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and local police. Boelter is described as a 57-year-old white man, 6’1” tall, about 220 lbs, with brown hair and eyes.
He was last seen in Minneapolis wearing a cowboy hat. The FBI think he may have changed his clothes and is trying to leave the Twin Cities. Authorities warn that he is armed and dangerous and ask anyone who sees him to call 911 at once. The TSA has also been alerted.
This attack on public officials has sparked heated debate about political speech and violence in the United States. As the search for Boelter continues, leaders are calling for calm and urging people to reject all threats and acts of violence in politics.
Many in Minnesota, a state known for its sense of community, are left to mourn a tragedy that has shaken their faith in public safety and democracy.
Under Tim Walz’s tenure as Governor (2019–present), Minnesota’s crime rates experienced a significant spike in 2020-2021, with violent crime rising 17.2% in 2020 and 21.6% in 2021, and murders nearly doubling from 104 in 2018 to 201 in 2021.
Conservative sources, like Fox News and the Minnesota GOP, highlight rising murders (up 50% from 2019 to 2023) and carjackings, blaming Walz’s “soft-on-crime” policies. They also cite Minnesota’s violent crime rate exceeding the national average in 2020 for the first time.
