Walz, who was Kamala Harris’s Democratic vice presidential running mate in last year’s election, stated that the gunman proceeded to the Hortmans’ residence after multiple shootings of the Hoffmans at their home in the nearby town of Champlin.
Walz reported that the Hoffmans underwent surgery, adding that he was “cautiously optimistic” about their survival from “this assassination attempt.”
“This was an act of targeted political violence,” he asserted. “Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.”
The shootings elicited expressions of shock and horror from Republican and Democratic politicians nationwide, alongside appeals to de-escalate increasingly polarizing political rhetoric.
This incident follows a contentious Congressional hearing on Thursday, where Walz and two other Democratic governors defended their states’ policies of maintaining sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, drawing criticism from Republicans who support Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Colonel Christina Bogojevic, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, stated that police discovered flyers in the suspect’s vehicle with “No Kings” printed on them. However, she clarified that the suspect had no direct connections to the thousands of “No Kings” protests held nationwide on Saturday against President Donald Trump’s policies.
These protests were strategically timed to counter Trump’s long-desired military parade in Washington. The organizing “No Kings Coalition” canceled all planned protests in Minnesota, citing a shelter-in-place order and the suspect’s at-large status.
Trump commented that he had been 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 declared in a statement.
Police Impersonator
Walz confirmed that Hortman and her husband were fatally shot in their home in Brooklyn Park. This Minneapolis suburb is situated in the northern part of Hennepin County, a Democratic stronghold within a state where Republicans have made gains in recent years.
Police officers are shown at a crime scene as they searched for a suspect, posing as a police officer, who shot two Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses in their homes, in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin, Minnesota, US, on June 14, 2025. — Reuters
Before Hortman’s killing, the Minnesota House of Representatives, where she served, was evenly split with 67 Democrats and 67 Republicans.
The FBI released images of Boelter wearing a rubber mask and a police-like uniform, offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Law enforcement officials stated that the gunman attacked the Hoffmans around 2 am CDT (0700 GMT), then drove approximately 5 miles (8 km) to the Hortmans’ residence.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley explained that a “very intuitive” police sergeant who responded to the Hoffman attack proactively requested colleagues to check the Hortmans’ home.
The two officers who arrived at the Hortmans’ residence observed a police-like vehicle with lights on and were immediately fired upon by the suspect. Bruley confirmed that they returned fire, but the suspect fled.
Surge in Political Violence
These pre-dawn killings in Minnesota occur amidst a notable increase in US political attacks in recent years, highlighting the grim consequences of the nation’s deepening political divisions.
Officers are seen canvassing the neighborhood following what police described as a targeted shooting in the vicinity of Edinburgh Golf Course in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, US, on June 14, 2025. — Reuters
Such incidents include the attempted kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, in 2020, and a man who broke into Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence in April and set it on fire.
In July of last year, then-candidate Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by a gunman while speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump has faced criticism from some opponents regarding his handling of incidents involving political violence.
In one of his initial actions in office earlier this year, Trump pardoned nearly all individuals criminally charged with participating in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
