Melissa Hortman, Minnesota lawmaker killed in targeted shootings, is remembered as devoted public servant

A manhunt is underway after the fatal shooting of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband overnight. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also injured in what Gov. Tim Walz called “politically motivated” shootings. 

Hortman, 55, and her husband were shot in Brooklyn Park, while Hoffman and his wife were shot in Champlin. 

According to the medical examiner, Hortman died of multiple gunshot wounds at her home. Her husband, Mark, died of multiple gunshot wounds at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale.

Multiple law enforcement sources have identified a suspect being sought by investigators in connection with the shootings as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, of Minnesota.  

Walz later ordered flags at half-staff at all state buildings in Minnesota in honor and remembrance of Hortman. 

“Today Minnesota lost a great leader. A formidable public servant and a fixture of the state Capitol, Melissa Hortman woke up every day determined to make our state a better place,” Walz said. “She served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, and tirelessness. Minnesota’s thoughts are with her loved ones.”

Hortman, 55, represented Minnesota House District 34B as a member of the Democratic Party. Her district covers Brooklyn Park, Coon Rapids and Champlin. 

Until Hortman was killed, the Minnesota state House was evenly divided 67-67. In the state Senate, Democrats hold a one-seat majority.

Hortman also served as the Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House. 

Hortman was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2004 and was in her 11th term. She and her husband leave behind two children. 

Last month, Hortman talked to WCCO in the lead-up to the potential special session where lawmakers finished up the budget. 

“Melissa Hortman represented the best of Minnesota,” DFL party chair Richard Carlbom said in a statement. “She was a tireless, devoted public servant who deeply loved our state and devoted her life to making it a better place. The warmth and kindness she showed to her family and friends were matched only by her fierce commitment to improving the lives of those she had never even met.”

“Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service,” Walz said. “She was a formidable public servant. A fixture and a giant in Minnesota.”

Hoffman, 60, represents Minnesota Senate District 34, which covers a swath of the northwest Twin Cities suburbs, including Rogers and Champlin. He was also a member of the Democratic Party. 

Hoffman was first elected to serve in 2012, and was reelected three times after.

He served as chair of the Human Services Committee, and also served on committees for energy, environment and health and human services.

He was born in 1965. He has one child. 

Walz denounces political violence

The governor released this statement late Saturday morning regarding the shootings:

“Today Minnesota lost a great leader, and I lost a friend. A formidable public servant and a fixture of the state Capitol, Melissa Hortman woke up every day determined to make our state a better place. She served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, and tirelessness.

Minnesota’s thoughts are with her loved ones, and my prayers are with Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who were shot and wounded and are being treated. We are not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint. We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree, that our state is strengthened by civil public debate.

We must stand united against all forms of violence – and I call on everyone to join me in that commitment. To the responding officers, thank you for your bravery and your swift action. A state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation is underway, and we will spare no resource in bringing those responsible to justice. We will not let fear win.”

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Cole Premo is digital manager for CBS Minnesota. For more than a decade, he’s been covering breaking news and weather, daily topics, stories from the Native community and more in Minnesota.

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