Two Democratic Minnesota Lawmakers Shot By Man Impersonating Officer
Two Minnesota lawmakers were shot by a man said to be impersonating a police officer and police are currently on the lookout for the suspect.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) addressed the situation in a Saturday X post though he did not confirm the specific details. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS’ Tom Hauser was first to report, based on sources, that John Hoffman in Champlin and Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman in Brooklyn Park were shot in their homes by a man said to be impersonating a police officer. Both lawmakers are Democrats.
FOX 9 reported that both lawmakers were shot in their homes, along with their spouses. Their conditions are unknown at this time. The local outlet reported that two suspects were involved in the early morning shootings and one is in custody.
“I’ve activated the State Emergency Operations Center,” Walz wrote on X. “Local law enforcement in Champlin and Brooklyn Park have the full resources of the State of Minnesota behind them. We are monitoring the situation closely and will share more information soon.”
In another post, Walz referred to “targeted shootings.”
“I’ve been briefed this morning on an ongoing situation involving targeted shootings in Champlin and Brooklyn Park,” he wrote. “The Minnesota Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement are on the scene. We will share more information soon.”
According to police alerts, the suspect at large is armed and dangerous and should not be approached. The suspect is reportedly a white man with brown hair wearing black body armor. Brooklyn Park Police issued a shelter-in-place alert for a 3-mile radius of the Edinburgh Golf Course, according to a Facebook post. The shelter in place order was issued at around 5:30 a.m.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) also took to X and said he’d been briefed on the “targeted shootings.”
“I have been briefed on the horrifying reports of targeted shootings in the north metro suburbs. We are coordinating with our partner law enforcement agencies and will share more information soon,” the mayor wrote.
Watch above via FOX 9.
This is a breaking story and has been updated.
