A Minnesota senator and his family experienced a terrifying assassination attempt overnight, with his wife bravely shielding their daughter as masked gunmen opened fire, narrowly missing critical areas. The couple has since spoken about the incident.
Yvette Hoffman jumped in front of her daughter, Hope, as Vance Boetler fired several shots at Senator John Hoffman inside their home in the Minneapolis suburbs early Saturday, according to a report by Hoffman’s nephew.
“This morning, a police officer broke in and shot my uncle six times; my aunt returned fire five times, showing acts of political terrorism,” Mat Ollig shared on Facebook.
Remarkably, one of the bullets just grazed the senator’s heart, as noted by Kare11.
Police arrived at the scene in Champlin, Minnesota, shortly after 2 a.m. following a 911 call and found Hoffman injured. He was quickly transported to the hospital for surgery.
Ollig later confirmed that while her aunt and uncle were both stable, Yvette had woken up in the hospital and was alert by Saturday night, according to KMSP.
Interestingly, Hoffman’s 20-year-old was not present during the shooting.
The gunfire had initially targeted the front of the Hoffmans’ home before Boetler moved on to another residence, where he shot and killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, around 3:30 a.m.
Details revealed Boetler had impersonated a police officer when approaching Hortman’s home and opened fire, leading to her immediate death at the scene while her husband succumbed later at a nearby hospital.
Brooklyn Park police were alerted to the situation at the Hoffmans’ residence, where they, somewhat alarmingly, discovered that a masked intruder had left the scene wearing police-style attire.
Officers engaged in a short pursuit of the gunman who had been hiding inside the home.
In response to the situation, police established a three-mile perimeter, conducting an emergency search for Boetler.
Although the blockade around the area near the Brooklyn Park shooting was lifted by Saturday evening, police advised residents to be cautious and avoid opening doors to anyone appearing suspicious.
Boetler’s wife, Jenny, was taken in for questioning by authorities after being pulled over nearby with several relatives, as reported by Local KTSP.
Notably, Boetler had previously served on the Non-Parent Workforce Development Council after being appointed by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton in 2016. He was later appointed to the Workforce Development Committee in 2019, with his term ending in 2023.
Governor Tim Walz described the shooting incidents as “politically motivated assassinations.”
Authorities reported that Boetler left behind a manifesto, which included a hit list of 70 politicians, among them Walz and Lt. Colonel Peggy Flanagan, with connections to anti-Trump protests.
The list reportedly targeted various abortion providers and clinics, as the two Democrats attacked were involved in elections.
Sources are investigating whether Boetler held extreme anti-abortion views, especially given that Hortman was a significant advocate for reproductive rights, having led efforts to codify abortion legality and increase funding for clinics.
