Minnesota Democrat Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed early Saturday morning in an act of “targeted political violence,” Governor Tim Walz said during a press conference Saturday.
Why It Matters
Hortman and her husband, Mark, were pronounced dead Saturday morning after a gunman posing as law enforcement arrived at their home in the early hours and shot them. Walz called the shooting “a politically motivated assassination.”
The gunman, who remains at large, had targeted the home of another Democratic lawmaker, state Senator John Hoffman, shortly before the attack on the Hortmans.
What To Know
At approximately 3:45 a.m. local time on Saturday, the local Brooklyn Park police were called and went to Hortman’s house where they encountered “an individual who immediately fired at them,” Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said during the press conference.
The police then exchanged gunfire, but the individual escaped, Evans said.
Hortman, who was the House Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Caucus Leader, had a distinguished career in the Minnesota House. She previously served as speaker from 2019 until early 2025. First elected in 2004, she was in her 11th term.
“Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service. She was a formidable public servant, a fixture, and a giant in Minnesota,” Walz said.
Hortman was an attorney who earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
The couple shared two children together, Colin and Sophie.
Update 6/14/25, 11:37 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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