A Democratic state lawmaker in Minnesota, Melissa Hortman, and her husband were shot and killed on Saturday in what authorities are calling a “targeted political attack,” AFP reported.

The incident occurred at the couple’s home and has prompted a sweeping investigation by state and federal agencies.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz confirmed the deaths and described the attack as a deliberate act of political violence.

In a separate but related incident, the governor said Hoffman and his wife were each “shot multiple times”, adding that they are out of surgery and he is cautiously optimistic that they will survive “this assassination attempt”. 

He added that the incident was an “act of targeted political violence”.

Chief of the Brooklyn Park Police Department, Mark Bruley, detailed how officers responded to the Hoffman residence and later checked on Hortman’s home.

There, they encountered an individual dressed in a police-style uniform, complete with a vest, taser, and badge, who opened fire on officers before retreating into the residence.

“No doubt if they were in this room, you would assume they were a police officer,” he said.

The police chief said there is an “extensive manhunt” involving “hundreds and hundreds of officers and SWAT teams”. Authorities have ordered residents in the Brooklyn Park area to shelter in place. Several individuals have been detained for questioning, but no arrests have been made.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, in a statement shared on X by Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, said he has been briefed on the “terrible shooting” in Minnesota, and it appears to be a “targeted attack against state lawmakers”.

He noted that the FBI and Attorney General Pam Bondi are overseeing the investigation.

“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” the statement read. “God bless the great people of Minnesota; it is a truly great place.”

AFP/PUNCH NG