Authorities still searching for suspect in 'assassination' of US state lawmaker

Hundreds of law officers fanned out across a suburb in the US state of Minneapolis in pursuit of a man who authorities say posed as a police officer and fatally shot a Democratic state lawmaker in her home on Saturday.

Governor Tim Walz has called the shooting “a politically motivated assassination".

Authorities say the same suspect also shot and wounded a second lawmaker.

Democratic former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home. Senator John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin address, about nine miles away.

The early morning attacks targeting lawmakers in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis prompted warnings to other elected officials around the state and the cancellation of planned “No Kings” demonstrations against President Donald Trump.

Authorities say the suspect had “No Kings” flyers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the victims as well as other lawmakers and officials, though they could not say if he had any other specific targets.

The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated during a time of deep political divisions.

“We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,” Walz, a Democrat, said at a news conference. "Those responsible for this will be held accountable.”

Two people familiar with the matter identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. The people could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Law enforcement has recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect’s vehicle, and he’s believed to still be armed with a pistol, one of the people familiar with the matter told the AP.

The shootings are the latest in a series of violent attacks against lawmakers across parties in recent years.

In April, a suspect set fire to the home of Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, forcing him and his family to flee the building during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The suspect told law enforcement that he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he found him, according to court documents.

In July 2024, the Republican Trump was grazed on the ear by one of a hail of bullets that killed a Trump supporter. Two months later, a man with a rifle was discovered in some shrubbery near the president's golf course in Florida and arrested by Secret Service agents.

Other high profile attacks in recent years have included a 2022 hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside their San Francisco home, and a 2020 plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home and start a civil war.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Saturday that he has asked Capitol Police to “immediately increase security” for Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats.

Schumer said he had also asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, to hold a briefing for senators on member security.

“Condemning violence is important but it is not enough,” Schumer said in a post on X. “We must also confront the toxic forces radicalizing individuals and we must do more to protect one another, our democracy, and the values that bind us as Americans.”

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