The attack, described by officials as targeted political violence, also left State Senator John Hoffman and his wife seriously injured after being shot multiple times in their Champlin residence.
What makes this attack all the more chilling is that it comes on the heels of a leaked Department of Homeland Security memo from earlier this year, which warned that public officials are increasingly being targeted at their homes. The memo, which ABC News got hold of back in March, highlighted a shift in focus by potential attackers—away from secured locations like government buildings and towards personal residences, which often lack the same level of protection.
The shooter, reportedly dressed to resemble a police officer, fired on officers outside Hortman’s home at around 3:35 a.m. after they stopped by to conduct a welfare check. He then fled on foot, prompting a manhunt. Just over an hour earlier, around 2 a.m., police had already responded to Hoffman’s home, where they found the senator and his wife suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Life-saving efforts were made on the spot before the couple was rushed to the hospital. Officials later said they were “cautiously optimistic” about their chances of survival following surgery, CNN reports.
Investigators found a vehicle parked outside Hortman’s home that looked remarkably like a police car, complete with emergency lights. Inside, they discovered a hit list reportedly naming several lawmakers. That unsettling find has only deepened fears that this wasn’t a random act of violence but part of a wider and perhaps coordinated threat.
The earlier DHS memo warned of an uptick in online chatter encouraging violence at officials’ homes, as well as increased doxing and swatting attempts. It pointed to a dangerous cocktail of rising political polarisation and conspiracy-driven hatred towards both government and corporate figures. The document stressed how difficult it’s become for law enforcement to spot threats early when motivations are increasingly erratic and personalised.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz didn’t mince words, calling the shootings a clear-cut case of politically driven violence. And the echoes of past attacks are hard to ignore. In one especially harrowing example, Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was brutally assaulted by a home intruder wielding a hammer in 2022. That same year, two men were found guilty of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer from her holiday home.
The fear now is that these aren’t isolated incidents but signs of a growing pattern, where public service comes with not just scrutiny but life-threatening danger. With emotions running high and the hunt for answers still underway, officials are scrambling to understand how such a tragedy could unfold—and what might come next.