On Saturday, two state lawmakers from Minnesota were attacked in their homes in what Governor Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination” attempt. The attacks left one politician dead and another seriously injured.
Police are hunting for a suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, who remains at large.
The attacks drew condemnation from across the political spectrum. President Donald Trump said in a statement that “such horrific violence will not be tolerated”.
US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who represents Minnesota, called it “an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy”.
Who were the victims?
State representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home, the governor said.
She had served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 20 years, and was speaker of the chamber from 2019-25.
State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were shot multiple times and injured, but survived. They had surgery.
Both lawmakers are Democrats.
What happened?
So far, local law enforcement has confirmed that the attacks occurred in the early hours of Saturday in the city of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said police received a call at 02:00 local time about an incident at Hoffman’s house.
Another call to police came in at 03:35, when officers were checking on Hortman’s home.
Police exchanged gunfire with the suspect at Hortman’s house in nearby Champlin, but he escaped. A manhunt is underway.
Officials said the attacker was impersonating a police officer, driving a vehicle that resembled a police car and using a badge and uniform.
Who is the suspect?
Police said they are looking for a single suspect, 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter. They did not give details on a possible motive.
A former political appointee, Boelter was once a member of the same state workforce development board as Hoffman.
“We don’t know the nature of the relationship or if they actually knew each other,” said Mr Evans.
Chief Mark Bruley of the Brooklyn Park Police said authorities found a manifesto and a target list of individuals in the suspect’s vehicle.
US Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, a Democrat, was on the list, a spokesman for her office confirmed to BBC.
Boelter is a security contractor who has worked in Africa and the Middle East, according to an online CV. He has also had managerial roles at firms in Minnesota.
He texted a troubling message to friends at a Minneapolis residence, where he had rented a room and would stay one or two nights a week, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Boelter said: “I’m going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn’t gone this way.”
What is the fallout?
Out of an abundance of caution, the governor discouraged Minnesotans from attending protests against the Trump administration’s policies that took place in the state, and around the US, on Saturday.
The attacks have also put a renewed spotlight on the issue of political violence in the US.
President Trump survived two assassination attempts in 2024.
In April this year, the house of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, was the target of an arson attack.
By BBC News
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