Melissa Hortman, the former speaker of the state house, and her husband, Mark, were shot dead at their Brooklyn Park home in a politically motivated attack only hours before Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar had dinner with Hortman on Friday night. The couple was killed early Saturday; a separate attack at the Champlin home of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife left them gravely injured.
The defendant, 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, allegedly entered both scenes by impersonating a police officer and driving a car with flashing lights. The names of almost 70 political individuals and items associated with anti-abortion and anti-“No Kings” attitudes were included in a manifesto that authorities found in his car. With a $50,000 reward, the FBI is launching a worldwide manhunt.
Seemingly upset, Klobuchar praised Hortman as a devoted public servant with a kind heart and a keen mind. Concerning that such violence jeopardizes democratic participation, she referred to the shootings as “politically motivated violence” and urged the nation to strengthen protection for public leaders.