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Minneapolis police investigate a fatal shooting (FOX 9). (FOX 9)
By Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz confirmed that Democratic state politician Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot in what he described as a “politically motivated assassination.”
State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot in the attacks but survived. Governor Walz said he is “cautiously optimistic” about their recovery.
US President Donald Trump condemned the violence, calling it a “targeted attack against state lawmakers,” and vowed that such “horrific violence will not be tolerated.”
Authorities believe the suspect posed as a police officer and fled after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement. The shootings occurred in the neighboring cities of Champlin and Brooklyn Park, near Minneapolis. Brooklyn Park police issued a shelter-in-place order for residents as the search for the suspect continues.
The incident underscores the rise in politically motivated violence across the United States.