The man suspected of assassinating a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker left behind a “manifesto” and list of potential next targets, according to law enforcement.
The items were recovered from the suspect’s car after he fled a shootout with police, Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley said during a press conference Saturday.
Bruley said that the target list featured the names of “many lawmakers and other officials,” including the two who were shot, but the content of the list and manifesto has not been released.
The man, who is on the loose, killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, at their home in a Minneapolis suburb. He also shot state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, at their home, but the couple is still alive. Both lawmakers were Democrats.
The suspect was cornered by police at the Hortman home, which they checked after discovering that Hoffman was shot. He exchanged gunfire with police but was able to escape out the back of the house on foot.
The man—who was white with brown hair—appeared to be impersonating a police officer. He was wearing a vest, taser, and badge, Bruley said. “No question, if they were in this room, you would assume they were a police officer.”
The suspect’s car, which was in the Hortmans’ driveway, was also made to look “exactly like a SUV squad car,” including emergency lights, Bruley said.
Local police are conducting a “large-scale” manhunt with the help of the FBI. Multiple people have already been questioned, although no one is in custody. Bruley said, though, that “persons of interest” have been identified.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who also spoke at the press conference, called the shootings “targeted political violence.”
“We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,” he said. “Those responsible for this will be held accountable.”
Hortman, 55, was the top Democrat in Minnesota’s House and previously served as speaker. She was first elected in 2004. The wounded lawmaker, Hoffman, 60, has held his office since 2012.
The suspect is considered armed and dangerous.
Police ordered people living in the vicinity of the shootings—which took place in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, Minnesota—to shelter in place. If a police officer approaches their house, locals have been instructed to call 911 to verify that the person is actually an officer.
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