Democratic lawmaker couple killed in Minnesota, 'No Kings' protests erupt

  Ema Alice: Minnesota Democratic state 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. Earlier this week, Hortman provided the sole Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party vote on HF1, a bill amending the state's MinnesotaCare coverage eligibility. The bill, which passed the House on June 12, enforces citizenship requirements to obtain the state's Medicaid program coverage, stripping adult undocumented immigrants of publicly funded health care. 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. Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot multiple times and underwent surgery. Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president last year, said the killing was politically motivated without elaborating. Hortman provided the sole Democratic vote in Minnesota's lower chamber to pass a Republican bill that would strip adult undocumented migrants of state-funded healthcare. The bill passed the House in a 68-65 vote, with Hortman's vote helping Republicans secure its passage, which left Hortman in tears. The vote took place against an increasingly violent backlash to the Trump administration's tough immigration policies. Protests in Los Angeles erupted into rioting last weekend and "No Kings" protests were planned in cities across the country on Saturday, President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Minnesota State Police said they had found "No Kings" flyers in the suspect's car, and the "No Kings" protests across the state have been cancelled. State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic asked people "out of an abundance of caution" not to attend any of the "No Kings" protests that were scheduled for across the state on Saturday, although she added that no direct evidence showed the protests would be targeted. Who Is Melissa Hortman? Hortman, who was the House 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. 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. Hortman and her husband shared two children together, Colin and Sophie. Who Is John Hoffman? Hoffman, also a member of the DFL Party, has held his seat representing the 34th district since being elected in 2012. He served as minority whip from 2017 to 2020, and currently is the chair of the Human Services Committee. According to public voting records, Hoffman voted against the bill amending Medicaid eligibility when it came before the state Senate. The bill was presented to Walz on June 12. Hoffman has one child with his wife, a daughter named Hope. He attended St. Mary's College, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and later obtained an advanced certificate in energy policy at the University of Idaho. What To Know At approximately 3:45 a.m. local time on Saturday, the local Brooklyn Park police were called and "proactively" went to Hortman's house following a shooting at Hoffman's house earlier, Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley said at the press conference. When police officers showed up at Hortman's house "they noticed that there was a police vehicle in the driveway with the lights, emergency lights on, and what appeared to be a police officer at the door coming out of the house." However, that individual was "not a real police officer, this is somebody that clearly had been impersonating a police officer," Bruley noted. "When our officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gun fire," the police chief said. The individual then escaped, believed to have escaped outside the back of the house. Bruley also noted that the suspect drove a vehicle that "looked exactly like an SUV squad car." "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. "This is a dark day today for Minnesota, and for democracy," Bob Jacobson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said during Saturday's press conference. Prior to arriving at the Hortmans house, the gunman appeared at Hoffman's house around 2 a.m. local time. Jacobson noted that the "suspect exploited the trust of our uniforms, that our uniforms are met to represent. That betrayal is deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility." [Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.] BP/SM