Minnesota State Senator, Wife, Shot 17 Times By Masked Assailant: Report
Minnesota Democratic state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, issued a statement on Thursday providing an update on their recovery and additional details about the assassination attempt against them last week.
Yvette has been discharged from the hospital, while John remains in critical but stable condition, according to NBC Minneapolis affiliate KARE 11. In their statement, the Hoffmans revealed that a masked assailant shot them a total of 17 times during a targeted attack on multiple Democratic politicians, which also resulted in the deaths of State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.
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The Hoffmans added that they, along with their adult daughter Hope, were awakened by loud banging on their front door, accompanied by someone shouting and identifying himself as a police officer.
“When the door was opened, all three of us were in the entryway. John initially lunged at the gunman as the weapon was pointed directly at him, getting struck nine times,” the statement reads. “As John fell, Yvette reached out to push the man and shut the door, succeeding before she was also hit eight times by gunfire.
“Hope then rushed to shut the door and secured the lock; she got to the phone and shared with the 911 operator that Senator John Hoffman had been shot in his home. Her brave actions and quick thinking triggered the notice to public safety officials that a politically-motivated act was potentially underway,” the statement continued.
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After shooting the Hoffmans, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, the suspected assassin, traveled to the homes of two other Democratic politicians who were not present, according to prosecutors. Authorities reported that Boelter then went to the residence of Hortman, where he fatally shot the 55-year-old legislator and her husband before engaging in a shootout with police and fleeing the scene.
Boelter was apprehended just over 24 hours later in a wooded area near his family home, located about an hour southwest of the Twin Cities.
Police discovered a potential “hit list” in Boelter’s vehicle containing the names of numerous Minnesota Democrats, including Gov. Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Angie Craig, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
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The suspect, who was reappointed by Walz in 2019 to the Workforce Development Board, was described as “very conservative” by a man who occasionally roomed with him at a residence in north Minneapolis.
Video clips circulated on social media depict Boelter preaching in churches in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent years. According to NBC News, he graduated from Christ For The Nations Institute in 1990 with a degree in practical theology, focusing on leadership and pastoral studies. In Minnesota, Boelter most recently worked for funeral homes and had several decades of experience in the food industry, the Daily Wire reported.
“We are heartbroken to know that our friends Melissa and Mark Hortman were assassinated,” the Hoffmans added. “Our daughter Hope and Sophie Hortman went to school together, and we know that they – along with Colin Hortman – will have each other’s support as we all work through the devastating consequences of that horrific night.”
“Choosing to work in the public sector, even in as limited a way as John’s career as a senator, has always meant sacrificing a level of privacy. But now we are grappling with the reality that we live in a world where public service carries such risks as being targeted because someone disagrees with you or doesn’t like what you stand for,” the statement continued.
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“As a society, as a nation, as a community, we must work together to return to a level of civility that allows us all to live peacefully. The future for our children depends on that. We will be praying for that work and appreciate all those who will join with us,” it added.
