A Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were shot and killed in their home early on Saturday by someone posing as a police officer, and a second lawmaker and his wife were wounded in what Governor Tim Walz described as “targeted political violence.”
Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her spouse were killed in their Brooklyn Park home, while state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, although shot multiple times, were taken to the hospital and underwent surgery.
Authorities were actively searching for a suspect in the hours following the shootings.
“We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence," Walz said at a press conference on Saturday.
Superintendent Drew Evans of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension stated that authorities were actively searching for the suspect.
AP's sources stated that the motive has not yet been determined and that the investigation is still in its early stages.
Police caution to avoid 'No Kings' protest
Hours after the shootings, hundreds of police and sheriff deputies from departments in the region, some in tactical gear with assault style weapons, were scattered through the town. Occasional police roadblocks were set up, where cars are stopped and searched for the investigation.
After the attack, police in Minnesota officially cancelled the “No Kings” protests, which are against President Trump's policies.
Police have recovered writings that mention names of multiple lawmakers and other officials in the fake police car that they believe the suspect used in the shooting.
