President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the “terrible” shootings involving two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers that occurred early Saturday morning, June 14.
“I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers,” Trump said in a statement on Saturday morning. He also said Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI are investigating the shootings and “will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!” Trump said.
Gov. Tim Walz announced at a press conference that former Minnesota House Speaker Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed early Saturday morning, June 14, in Brooklyn Park. Their deaths marked the second of two reported shootings involving state lawmakers that day.
DFL Sen. John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot early Saturday morning in Champlin. At a press conference, officials said both underwent surgery for their injuries and are currently recovering. Walz stated he is “optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt.”
? JUST IN: Security cam images show ass*ssin Vance Boelter knocking on a Minnesota lawmaker’s door wearing a latex mask and a security guard uniform, meant to look like a police officer
You can even see police lights from his security vehicle flashing.
This is terrifying. pic.twitter.com/LdzCnM0c7D
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 14, 2025
Later that afternoon, law enforcement identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. Authorities said he impersonated a police officer to gain access to the victims. Boelter fled on foot after being confronted by police outside Rep. Melissa Hortman’s home in Brooklyn Park.
Suspect in the Minnesota attack is reportedly Vance Luther Boelter.
He was appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board in 2019 by Gov. Tim Walz.
Boelter had ‘NO KINGS’ flyers in his car.
Walz needs to resign. pic.twitter.com/4T6Xs9zevT
— Paul A. Szypula ?? (@Bubblebathgirl) June 14, 2025
According to his social media profile, Boelter previously worked in Minnesota’s food industry before founding a security company in 2021. He had also been appointed to a state workforce board by both Walz and former Gov. Mark Dayton.
In a press release, Walz said, “Minnesota lost a great leader, and I lost a friend.” He called Hortman “a formidable public servant and a fixture of the state Capitol.”
“Minnesota’s thoughts are with her loved ones, and my prayers are with Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who were shot and wounded and are being treated,” he said.
He added, “We are not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint. We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree, that our state is strengthened by civil public debate. We must stand united against all forms of violence – and I call on everyone to join me in that commitment.”
Walz, for the record, was scheduled to be a headline speaker at a “No Kings” event in Minnesota but backed out after the murders. He has also referred to federal immigration authorities as “Gestapo,” a Nazi Germany reference, which critics have called unnecessarily inflammatory.
