LAST UPDATE | 14 Jun 2025

A GUNMAN IN Minnesota has shot two Democratic state lawmakers today, killing one and her husband and wounding the other in what officials said were targeted attacks.

Governor Tim Walz said the attack at the lawmakers’ homes in two towns near Minneapolis “appears to be a politically motivated assassination.”

Speaker in the House of Representatives Melissa Hortman (55) and her husband Mark were both shot and killed, Walz said, while Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette are now out of surgery after being shot “multiple times”.

The country’s president, Donald Trump, said in a statement: “I have 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.”

The suspected assailant is still at large, officials said, with a massive manhunt underway.

Police deploy as a manhunt is underway for a shooter that targeted two state lawmakers, in Brooklyn Park. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Hoffman and his wife were shot first, and as police investigated, Hortman and her husband were shot about 90 minutes later.

The suspected gunman was able to escape during an exchange of gunfire with officers near Hortman’s residence, Evans told reporters.

“We’re actively searching for that individual right now,” he said.

In both cases, authorities believe the assailant was impersonating a law enforcement officer.

“The suspect exploited the trust that our uniform is meant to represent,” said Bob Jacobson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

A ‘Kick Out the Clowns’ protest organised by Women’s March in Minnesota was subsequently cancelled as law enforcement continues to search for the suspect.

The executive director of Women’s March, Rachel O’Leary, said that the events were cancelled “in light of the devastating attack”. She extended her condolences on behalf of the group to the victims of the attack, saying, “We are heartbroken and outraged by this targeting of public servants and their loved ones.”

An anti-Trump rally in Minneapolis – part of the national wave of “No Kings” protests planned for Saturday – was also cancelled.

Flyers for the protests were found in the suspect’s car, as well as a manifesto that named numerous politicians and state officials, police said.

Police are looking for a white man with brown hair, wearing black body armor over a blue shirt and blue pants, local TV station KSTP said.

“We do have the suspect’s car. Suspect is on foot,” said Mark Bruley, the police chief in Brooklyn Park, where Hortman lived.

Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi decried what they called “horrific violence” and said the perpetrators would be prosecuted to “the fullest extent of the law.”

Walz said of Melissa Hortman: “Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends. Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humour, and a sense of service.

“She was a formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota. She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place. She is irreplaceable and will be missed by so many.”

BREAKING: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz confirms that both Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot an killed early this morning in a "politically motivated" attack. John Hoffman and his wife are both out of surgery and doctors remain optimistically hopeful for their recovery. pic.twitter.com/nS5elAwoc0

— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) June 14, 2025

Of John and Yvette Hoffman, the governor said that they are receiving care and he is “cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt”.

Includes reporting by AFP