The Democratic congresswoman from the Minnesota legislature and former Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Melissa Hortman, was shot dead this Saturday along with her husband after being shot multiple times at their home.
The news was announced by the state governor, Tim Walz, in what he described as a “politically motivated murder.”
The security forces have identified a suspect who also shot at Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife. Both are injured and have undergone emergency surgery. Their prognosis is reserved but “optimistic, with caution,” the governor explained.
How was the attack in Minnesota?
The police received an initial report around 2:00 in the morning, local time, about a shooting incident at the Hoffman’s residence in the town of Champlin, a suburb of Minneapolis.
An hour and a half later, the agents approached the Hortman’s home in Brooklyn Park, about 10 kilometers away from Champlin, to find an individual dressed as a police officer next to a patrol car with its lights on, as part of their plan to convince the couple to open the door, according to sources close to the investigation.
The fake agent in disguise, confirmed as the main suspect in the murders, started a shootout with the police before fleeing. The suspect was wearing clothing impossible to differentiate from a real uniform, including a badge and a stun gun. The FBI is collaborating in the search and capture operation of the individual, who is also wearing a bulletproof vest.
The president of the National Democratic Committee, Ken Martin, former chairman of the Minnesota Democratic Party, was one of the first to offer his condolences for the murder of two close friends, as has also been done by Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, "devastated by the tragic loss of the congresswoman and her husband, Mark, who were taken from us in an act of violence“.
In a statement published by Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, Donald Trump stated that “such horrible violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. May God bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly wonderful place!”.