UPDATE: Authorities say the suspect sought in connection with the shootings of state lawmakers Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman is 57-year-old Vance Boelter, sources confirmed to the Associated Press.
A nephew of the couple said on social media that they were each shot five or six times.
The pair underwent surgery at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, and Walz said he was “cautiously optimistic” about their survival.
Speaker Hortman was someone who served the state of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor and a sense of service,” Walz said.
Authorities say both lawmakers and their spouses were shot by a gunman impersonating a police officer.
Hortman was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2004, and she served as House speaker from 2019 to 2025.
Sources tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that all other Minnesota state lawmakers are under protective custody in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement jurisdictions. »