Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were fatally shot early Saturday at their home in Brooklyn Park by a man impersonating a police officer in what Gov. Tim Walz said “appears to be a politically motivated assassination.”

Hortman was the top Democrat in the Minnesota House and a former House speaker. Walz said another DFLer, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette, were also shot and wounded at their home in Champlin.

Officials named 57-year-old Vance Boelter of Green Isle, Minn., as a suspect in the shootings and asked for the public’s help finding him. Boelter remains at large and considered armed and dangerous; people should call 911 if they see him, said Drew Evans, head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

A Brooklyn Park police sergeant assisting Champlin called in a request to check on the Hortmans’ home at about 3:30 a.m., said Brooklyn Park police Chief Mark Bruley.

When the two officers arrived at Hortman’s house, “they noticed that there was a police vehicle in the driveway with the emergency lights on, and what appeared to be a police officer at the door coming out of the house,” Bruley said. “When our officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers, who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home.”

The suspect, later identified as Boelter, fled out the back of the house, eluding officers who rendered first-aid to Mark Hortman before later finding Melissa Hortman.

Bruley said the suspect was wearing a vest with a Taser and a “badge similar to mine. There’s no question that if they were in this room you’d assume that they were a police officer.” He said the ruse was used to gain entrance to the house.

A “manifesto” was found in the vehicle the suspect left behind, he added.

Evans said investigators also found a “list of individuals” that were “targeted.”

He didn’t elaborate on the names or possible motivation, but Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said “there is increased security in place for elected officials and others who may be at risk.”

The Minnesota State Patrol later urged people not to attend “No Kings” demonstrations Saturday and posted a photo of the inside of the suspect’s car containing leaflets that read “No Kings.”

‘Lost a great leader’
“Our state lost a great leader, and I lost the dearest of friends,” Walz said of Melissa Hortman, the House DFL leader. “Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor and a sense of service.”

The Hoffmans were out of surgery and in stable condition as of Saturday morning, according to their nephew Mat Ollig — who said a bullet had narrowly missed his uncle’s heart.

Ollig confirmed what he wrote in a Facebook post, that the Hoffmans’ daughter was home at the time of the shooting but was uninjured because Yvette Hoffman “threw herself on her daughter, using her body as a shield to save her life.”

He described the couple as “true civil servants” dedicated to working across the aisle and helping others. “They just give everything they can to help other people, and that’s what makes this even more shocking,” he said. “They’re not hyperpartisan. I’m still in shock that this could happen to such nice people in such a nice state.”

Law enforcement blocks an intersection-1
A Champlin police officer blocks off the intersection of 93rd Ave N and Noble Pkwy N in Brooklyn Park, Minn., during an active manhunt while law enforcement searches for a shooter who targeted Minnesota lawmakers in the early morning on Saturday.Tom Baker for MPR News
Walz vowed that “those responsible for this will be held accountable.” A source close to the governor said Walz spoke with Vice President JD Vance about the targeted attacks in Minnesota and that Walz expressed appreciation for the ongoing coordination between federal law enforcement and Minnesota public safety officials.

Hortman was first elected to the state House in 2004, and served as House DFL leader. She previously served as House speaker.

‘Shining light’Colleagues mourn DFL House leader Melissa Hortman
Hoffman was first elected to the state Senate in 2012, and serves as chair of the Senate’s Human Services Committee.The Minnesota State Patrol later urged people not to attend “No Kings” demonstrations Saturday and posted a photo of the inside of the suspect’s car containing leaflets that read “No Kings.”

‘Lost a great leader’
“Our state lost a great leader, and I lost the dearest of friends,” Walz said of Melissa Hortman, the House DFL leader. “Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor and a sense of service.”

The Hoffmans were out of surgery and in stable condition as of Saturday morning, according to their nephew Mat Ollig — who said a bullet had narrowly missed his uncle’s heart.

Ollig confirmed what he wrote in a Facebook post, that the Hoffmans’ daughter was home at the time of the shooting but was uninjured because Yvette Hoffman “threw herself on her daughter, using her body as a shield to save her life.”

He described the couple as “true civil servants” dedicated to working across the aisle and helping others. “They just give everything they can to help other people, and that’s what makes this even more shocking,” he said. “They’re not hyperpartisan. I’m still in shock that this could happen to such nice people in such a nice state.”

Law enforcement blocks an intersection-1
A Champlin police officer blocks off the intersection of 93rd Ave N and Noble Pkwy N in Brooklyn Park, Minn., during an active manhunt while law enforcement searches for a shooter who targeted Minnesota lawmakers in the early morning on Saturday.Tom Baker for MPR News
Walz vowed that “those responsible for this will be held accountable.” A source close to the governor said Walz spoke with Vice President JD Vance about the targeted attacks in Minnesota and that Walz expressed appreciation for the ongoing coordination between federal law enforcement and Minnesota public safety officials.

Hortman was first elected to the state House in 2004, and served as House DFL leader. She previously served as House speaker.

‘Shining light’Colleagues mourn DFL House leader Melissa Hortman
Hoffman was first elected to the state Senate in 2012, and serves as chair of the Senate’s Human Services Committee.