Minnesota is reeling from a series of violent attacks targeting current and former legislators. Among the victims: former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, who were gunned down in their suburban Minneapolis home late Thursday night by an assailant allegedly posing as a police officer.
Authorities say the coordinated attacks struck six lawmakers across four locations, in what officials are now describing as a politically motivated attack.
According to early reports, the gunman arrived at the Hortmans’ residence wearing a tactical vest and claiming to be with a federal agency. Neighbors told reporters they heard arguing followed by multiple gunshots. By the time law enforcement arrived, both Melissa Hortman and her husband, John, were deceased. Surveillance footage later confirmed the suspect used forged identification and drove a vehicle resembling a government SUV.
State troopers later intercepted a suspect matching the assailant’s description near Rochester after a brief vehicle pursuit and exchange of gunfire. He is now in custody and undergoing interrogation by a joint state-federal task force.
Two other lawmakers were hospitalized with gunshot wounds—one critically. Three others were reportedly confronted or stalked, but escaped harm. The state has not released the full list of targeted officials, citing ongoing security concerns.
Minnesota State Police Colonel Brian Gerhardt confirmed in a late-night press conference that the attacks were “methodical, well-planned, and almost certainly ideologically motivated,” but declined to specify whether the motive was political, personal, or anti-government in nature.
Governor Tim Walz called it a “gutting blow to the democratic process” and urged the legislature to convene in emergency session next week to consider new security protocols for public officials.
“We cannot tolerate a reality where serving the public becomes a death sentence,” Walz said.
