Late on the night of June 14, 2025, two violent attacks disrupted the tranquility of suburban Minnesota. Melissa Hortman, former Speaker of the Minnesota House and a senior leader of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, was gunned down, along with her husband, Mark Hortman, in their home in the suburb of Brooklyn Park. Exactly an hour earlier, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife had been shot and badly hurt in a shooting in the neighboring suburb of Champlin. The two attacks, authorities suspect, are linked and politically motivated.
Authorities have identified the suspect as 57‑year‑old Vance Luther Boelter. Law enforcement confirmed Boelter had served as a governor-appointed member of Minnesota’s Workforce Development Board from December 2019 until January 2023, a position granted by Gov. Tim Walz. The suspect, still at large, posed as a police officer to gain access to both homes, wearing tactical gear and driving a vehicle marked to resemble law enforcement. A manifesto and flyers bearing the anti-establishment slogan “No Kings” were discovered in the suspect’s abandoned SUV. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley warned residents to
“verify credentials of anyone claiming to be law enforcement”
and stressed the impersonation was carried out with disturbing precision.
54-year-old Melissa Hortman had represented Brooklyn Park in the Minnesota House for two decades. She had served as Speaker from 2019 to 2024, navigating the state through landmark bills on clean energy, education, and equity. Known as a skilled negotiator and loyal public servant, she was currently the minority leader of the DFL caucus at the time of her death.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz mourned her loss in a statement on X:
“This was not only an unspeakable tragedy, but a politically motivated assassination. Melissa devoted her life to making Minnesota better. We must honor her legacy by protecting democracy from extremism.”
Hortman leaves behind two adult children and a grieving community struggling to make sense of the brutality.
Only five days before the shooting, Hortman made what would become the most controversial decision of her career and life.
She voted on June 9 as the sole DFL legislator in support of a bill that rolled back MinnesotaCare access for over 17,000 undocumented immigrants. The vote was part of a contentious budget compromise with Republican legislators.
Visibly emotional after the vote, Hortman addressed reporters:
“I know that people will be hurt by that vote… but I did what leaders do. I stepped up and got the job done for the people of Minnesota.”
She acknowledged the backlash from her own party:
“They’re right to be mad at me. I think their job was to make folks who voted for that bill feel like crap—and I think they succeeded.”
While deeply unpopular among her caucus, some colleagues publicly defended her. Senator John Marty said,
“She clearly fought against it every step of the way in negotiations. But we needed that one vote. She gave it for us.”
Federal and state agencies, including the FBI and Department of Justice, are leading a full-scale manhunt. Residents of Champlin and Brooklyn Park were under a shelter-in-place order, later rescinded that day. Police are examining surveillance tapes and tip lines are open.
Hoffman and his wife are hospitalized after undergoing emergency surgery and will survive, investigators believe. They think the attacks were planned and had a political motivation directly related to the June 9 vote.
While the U.S. struggles with a rising surge in political violence, the Minnesota shootings have attracted global attention. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords—herself a survivor of a political assassination attempt posted:
“This cannot become normal. We must disarm hate.”
Even President Donald Trump, often polarizing in his remarks, called the killings
“a disgusting, cowardly act against democracy.”
This latest tragedy mirrors a broader pattern: earlier this year, an assailant tried to breach the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion. Political extremism is no longer confined to online forums it is breaking into homes.
Authorities urge the public to verify sources before sharing content. “Disinformation only deepens the wound,” said Gov. Walz.