Shooter disguised as a police officer Murder of US politician: hunt for perpetrator still on
Melissa Hortman was a Democratic member of Congress from the US state of Minnesota.
Image: Keystone
Melissa Hortman was killed. Her party colleague John Hoffman was seriously injured.
Image: Keystone
A large-scale manhunt is underway in Minnesota for the shooter - he is said to have posed as a police officer.
Image: Keystone
Melissa Hortman was a Democratic member of Congress from the US state of Minnesota.
Image: Keystone
Melissa Hortman was killed. Her party colleague John Hoffman was seriously injured.
Image: Keystone
A large-scale manhunt is underway in Minnesota for the shooter - he is said to have posed as a police officer.
Image: Keystone
The attacks took place early on Saturday morning. The suspected perpetrator poses as a police officer and shoots a Democratic politician and her husband. They are not the only victims. The man has not yet been caught.
15.06.2025, 01:52
15.06.2025, 08:34
SDA
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- After the fatal shooting of a Democratic politician and her husband, a manhunt is underway in the US state of Minnesota for the fugitive.
- Melissa Hortman, a member of the Minnesota legislature, and her husband Mark Hortman were attacked in their home in the city of Brooklyn Park early Saturday morning (local time).
- In another attack in nearby Champlin, a Democratic senator from the state legislature, John Hoffman, and his wife were also gunned down and seriously injured.
- US Governor Walz spoke of an apparently politically motivated act.
Following the fatal shooting of a Democratic politician and her husband, a manhunt is underway in the US state of Minnesota for the fugitive perpetrator. Melissa Hortman, a member of the Minnesota legislature, and her husband Mark Hortman were attacked in their home in the city of Brooklyn Park early on Saturday morning (local time), according to Governor Tim Walz. Neither survived the attack. Walz spoke of a suspected politically motivated act.
In another attack in nearby Champlin, a Democratic senator from the state parliament, John Hoffman, and his wife were also shot and seriously injured, Walz said. They are "cautiously optimistic" that they will survive. There is concern that other people could be in danger.
Walz paid tribute to his party colleague Hortman as a "close friend" who "woke up every day with the goal of making this state a little better". Hortman was once chairwoman of Minnesota's parliament, which she had been a member of since 2004. The lawyer was Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025. She represented a reliably Democratic constituency and regularly won re-election by a margin of more than 20 percentage points.
She played a key role in the passage of numerous bills in the 2023 legislative session, when Democrats held only a slim majority in Minnesota's Congress. These included laws to extend abortion rights, legalize cannabis and introduce sick pay and paid parental leave.
How the alleged perpetrator proceeded
The perpetrator was still on the run late Saturday evening (local time). The suspect is a 57-year-old man who, according to research by US media, is employed by a private security company. According to the company's website, he had completed missions in crisis regions such as the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon and had been trained by members of the US military, among others. "Do not approach him. He is to be classified as armed and dangerous," said a representative of the authorities.
The public was asked to help with the manhunt. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has offered a reward of up to 50,000 dollars for information.
The police had taken action after the attack on the Hoffman couple and had checked the Hortman home as a precautionary measure - where the emergency services then encountered a person posing as a police officer.
There was a vehicle in the driveway with its blue lights on and a person in police uniform came out of the house. When the officers confronted the man, he opened fire, according to the authorities; a gunfight ensued. The suspect retreated into the house and was able to flee. The police then discovered Hortman and her husband in the house.
"This was not a real police officer," authorities said. Rather, it was someone who had posed as a police officer and exploited the trust in the badge and uniform to get into the house. During the subsequent search of the vehicle, investigators said they found a manifesto in which several officers were named. The security authorities then initiated additional protective measures for people on the list.
According to the US broadcaster CNN, the list contained almost 70 names - including politicians from Minnesota and other states as well as supporters of abortion rights. A large quantity of ammunition was also found in a bag in the car - including a card addressed to the alleged perpetrator for Father's Day.
The situation regarding violence against politicians in the USA
The fear of politically motivated violence has grown in the USA in recent years. This concern is also fueled by the easy access to firearms there. Authorities and politicians repeatedly warn of a heated atmosphere in the country, in which confrontational rhetoric and hatred on social networks can turn into acts of violence. Threats against public officials are now part of everyday life.
At the end of 2022, the husband of Democratic US leader Nancy Pelosi was seriously injured in a hammer attack at her home in San Francisco, California. A few months ago, a fire was set in the residence of the Governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro. According to investigators, the suspected arsonist acted out of hatred for the Democratic politician.
Republicans are also affected: During the presidential election campaign last year, US President Donald Trump was injured in the ear in an assassination attempt during an event in the state of Pennsylvania. Trump himself repeatedly uses sometimes radical language.
The Republican has now strongly condemned the fatal shooting in Minnesota. He spoke of a "well-targeted attack on civil servants". The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Attorney General Pam Bondi are in charge of the investigation, according to a statement from the White House. "Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America," Trump said, announcing that he would prosecute all possible perpetrators "with the full force of the law".
Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden also spoke out. "We must all unite as a nation against politically motivated violence," wrote Biden on the X platform. Hate and extremism should have no place in the USA.
Anti-Trump demonstrations in Minnesota canceled
Due to security concerns, protest events planned for the day against Trump in Minnesota were canceled. Governor Walz had previously recommended staying away from the demonstrations until the fugitive suspect was caught. The organizers then canceled all events that had not yet begun.
The nationwide protests under the slogan "No Kings" are planned on the day of Trump's military parade in Washington. A pile of "No Kings" leaflets was found in the car that the suspected shooter left behind in Minnesota when he fled from the police. What he intended to do with them remained unclear at first.