Donald Trump hasn’t even been back in office for five full months and his violent wingnut supporters are already carrying out targeted assassinations of Democratic lawmakers. Over the weekend in Minnesota, two Democrats and their families were targeted by one or more assassins. Melissa Hortman, the former Democratic House speaker in Minnesota, was murdered alongside her husband Mark in their Brooklyn Park home. State Senator John Hoffman, also a Democrat, was shot and so was his wife Yvette inside their home (which was less than ten miles away from the Hortman home). The Hoffmans survived the shooting, with Yvette in better condition than her husband. Yvette Hoffman apparently threw her body on top of her daughter to shield her from the gunman, and the daughter is alive as well. This is so devastating.
Throughout Saturday and Sunday, there was a manhunt in Minnesota for the suspected shooter, a 57-year-old man named Vance Boelter. Lots of media outlets and law enforcement agencies are poring through Boelter’s history: he once worked for the government, he’s got a background in evangelical ministry and a “private security” firm where he worked internationally. Law enforcement also said that they believe Boelter was targeting Democrats who vocally supported reproductive rights and abortion rights. Late last night, Boelter was finally captured – he was arrested and taken into custody. He was found near his home in Green Isle, Sibley County. It is strongly believed that his wife was aiding him, and she was detained after a traffic stop on Sunday as well.
Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Walz spoke out on Saturday, shortly after learning about the shootings. Reportedly, Trump has not called Gov. Walz, and I suspect Trump has not called the Hortman or Hoffman families.
The roommate of Minnesota lawmaker shooting suspect Vance Boelter spoke to CBS News' @lilialuciano about rumors circulating online about the suspect's politics: "He's not a Democrat. He would be offended if people called him a Democrat," he said, adding that Boelter "was a Trump… pic.twitter.com/qm5uqsO79f
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 16, 2025
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and via Wikipedia.
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- Melissa Hortman, Minnesota State Representative,Image: 1010964645, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Paul Battaglia/Minnesota House of Represenatives/Avalon
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- [ST. PAUL, MN] — May 17, 2021: Governor Tim Walz today announced that he has reached a bipartisan budget agreement with Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and House Speaker Melissa Hortman that supports working families, ensures students continue to catch up on learning, and helps small businesses to drive Minnesota’s economic recovery.,Image: 1010964649, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Governor’s Office/Avalon
Absolutely sickening. I will not be surprised if they make this morally bankrupt deviant a hero. Why does this deviant have a roommate and a wife who’s probably aiding him? What is going on with all of that?
I’m so sick of the horrible, hypocritical behavior by these fake Christians—they need to be taken down and out.
They’re making him a Democrat. The suspect was appointed to a 40-person, largely ceremonial business advisory board that meets a few times a year by Gov. Tim Walz’s predecessor. Walz reappointed him because unless there’s a reason to kick someone off those boards, why make enemies? Such reappointments happen after every election. Honestly, I would be surprised if Walz even knew about it.
But now he’s one of “Tampon Timmy’s Team” and they arranged the hits together because Hortman voted with the GOP to finalize a long-overdue budget bill a couple of weeks ago so the Legislature could adjourn. As the party’s leader and with strong backing in her district, the Democrats asked her to take the hit to get it done. Thus, motive (in the MAGAts minds).
That or the suspect is Mossad. The comments are truly WILD. And *vile*.
And some of the most vile are coming from Utah’s senior U.S. Senator Mike Lee. I have written to my Senators and Senate leadership of both parties to censure him and I have left messages at all his offices demanding he apologize to the families AND resign his Senate seat
Didn’t the MN democratic party announce he isn’t a registered Democrat, while the rethugs refuse to admit he’s a registered rethug because It would ‘invade his privacy’?
If only we had an effective intel community tracking and reporting on these situations BEFORE someone is killed or injured. Not that the Dumpf admin would act on any threats against Dear Leader’s enemies or policy opponents.
Especially as this murderer has been in Russia at least three times in recent years, taking part in fascist training camps, or something like that.
I don’t really have details, because I lost the thread that was shared by someone in the intel community here in Europe.
Unfortunately, one of the first things to change under this new regime is that far right extremists would no longer be considered a major threat by the FBI. That and the fact that the Orange one and his minions have decided that highly trained FBI agents should be putting their investigative powers into aiding ICE instead of, you know, terrorism.
They need to monitor proud boys, anti-abortion, and other misogynist sites (but of course, they won’t). The common thread among mass shooters, serial killers, and terrorists, is a hatred of women.
Republicans are disgusting, evil beings who keep brainwashing the next generations to violently hate women. I hope they are all judged accordingly in the end by the God they claim to believe in.
The police were supposedly on the scene when he shot one of the lawmakers! Stinks to high heaven.
And the right-wing of course lied through their teeth and try to paint this guy as a left-wing Marxist. To this day, I do not understand why the Dems do not loudly and vocally respond to these people. Like seriously, the DNC needs to hire a small team of social media specialists who do nothing but reply to these asshats and spit facts.
They’re continuing it all over sm including dumpster fire posting lies and attacking walz. Hes a plant hired by w a l z to do this, the terrible minn gov caused this, etc.
One of the Minnesota newspapers did a point by point rebuttal proving all the magats lies are lies, but 40 percent of the people in the US will embrace the lies.
The GOP are masters at twisting the facts, shifting a narrative, lying through their teeth to get their base fired up. This is EXACTLY how the Benghazi thing happened with Hillary, I remember watching helplessly in real time as the real story got lost in the right wing spin machine.
And this is why Trump is in office today – way too many people believe the right wing spin on everything. Reality doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve been infuriated for 10 years that we cannot seem to counter this.
The DNC is a wreck. Infighting, resignations, even the leader is questioning his ability to lead.
Look elsewhere for guidance, hope. I’m sorry for it all.
BEFORE the killer was even caught, Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, shit-posted this: “Nightmare on Waltz Street.” (Of course he misspelled Walz’ name.) He included a photo of the shooter.
I mean, it’s unreal — the viciousness. Two people are dead. When asked if he had any comment about the murders, Trump said that Walz is “a grossly incompetent person,” and that he “may” call him. Of course he hasn’t yet. Biden already did.
HOW ARE THESE PEOPLE STILL IN OFFICE?!?!
And that’s not all Mike Lee posted. I will not besmirch the title of “Senator” by putting it before his name. I have called on Senate leadership to censure him and I left voicemails at all his offices that he needs to resign
The DNC has made some pretty good content lately on their social channels, but the reality is we live in a pro right-wing environment — from mainstream media treating “both sides” the same to conservative outlets dominating in the non-traditional media space to social algorithms favoring their content. So the issue here goes beyond hiring a social team.
Roommates and a wife? At his big age? What’s wrong with him?
THAT’S the part where you think somethings wrong with him?!
Oof.
Yeah in the current economic climate, I don’t look sideways at anyone who has roommates, because sometimes that’s the only way to afford a roof over your head and help others do the same.
It the murdering, political assassination planning, faux-pro-life anti-reproductive-freedom evil and cruelty that’s the problem.
Also, *certainly* police unions and every Republican or other person who has ever displayed a Blue Lives Matter flag /sign or flipped their red hats over Defund the Police signs will loudly denounce this criminal’s impersonation of a LEO and his murderous actions. Right? Right?
He has a wife, five kids and a big house with land in the exurbs. AND he has a crashpad with several roommates where he stays a few nights a week, so it’s not economic. This guy is odd.
Thanks.
But I’ll focus my judgement on the fact he just assassinated 2 people and planned to assassinate more. That makes him WAY more than odd, that makes him a murderous, violent, asshole criminal.
This makes me so sick. My heart is with the families.
My uncle knew them through his career in education in MN, and considered them friends. He’s devastated.
My condolences. It truly is shocking to see the level of political violence being perpetrated by the followers of this fascist regime.
It’s not 1933, it’s closer to 1935, 1938…
Thank you.
I remember, in 2016 when he first came to power, someone said to me “give him a chance, he hasn’t done anything yet”
But of course, he had. And here we are.
This is devastating for the families, the communities, the nation.
The suspect has been apprehended now. There was a lot of performative outrage from federal law enforcement but it appears that it was finally state and local law enforcement who found and arrested him. Trump certainly made clear that he doesn’t give a f**k.
As a Minnesotan, I must get something off my chest. We have to stop with the Minnesota nice and the insistence that we all just need to get along in some kind of bipartisan Nirvana. Because both Governor Walz and Senator Klobuchar are still doing this. They are framing such political violence as political disagreement that goes too far. Maybe they haven’t processed it yet because their good friend was murdered just hours after they both saw her at the DFL dinner. But this is not about simple political disagreement that ends in violence. This is about a hateful fascist ideology that wants anyone who resists them in any way dead. Just last Thursday a high ranking Trump official told us that they will not stop their aggressive tactics in big cities until they have “liberated” them from their legitimately elected Democratic officials. That wasn’t a warning. It was a prediction and a threat. Less than 48 hours later a Christo fascist with a hit list was gunning down elected officials in another blue state. I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I don’t believe in coincidences, especially since Trump himself issues such threats every damn day. These people mean to kill as many of us as they can in any way they can. It’s not a both sides problem of overheated rhetoric. This is an existential threat not only to our constitutional democracy but to those of us who believe in a multiracial society and the rule of law. I just wish everyone, especially our elected officials, understood the nature and depth of the danger we face. These Nazis are purposely using stochastic terrorism as a tactic within their larger strategy of purging our nation of all liberal thought.
@Brassyrebel, we really should meet! Fellow outraged Minnesotan here as well.
💔👊🤝
Yes, where should we meet?
We didn’t know the shooter but my parents live near Green Isle. That’s where I grew up.
We had a family picnic planned yesterday at my parents farm. They called us in a panic when they received emergency alerts on their phones from local law enforcement stating Sibley county was under an emergency alert.
My parents were on lock down so we decided to not drive up there & notified the rest of the family that the picnic was canceled.
Trump’s comment about Walz when asked about the shooting had me absolutely enraged.
Fellow Minnesotan whose name *might* be on the shooter’s list (probably not, but possible). We need to start getting rude. REALLY rude.
I couldn’t agree more Brassy Rebel!
Hey how many Minnesotans are on this site? It’s nice to see us all.
I am baffled at how the Democratic Party and the DFL are both all just wanting to stay friendly. I don’t want friendly anymore. I want them to go for the figurative kill. I want them to tell on their crappy Republican colleagues, no holding back. I want fangs and claws.
There better be terrorism charges etc brought here.
It’s insanity that some of us are now hesitant about ANY federal charges, because Trump can (and will) pardon any of his voters, no matter what they do.
I have to imagine it will be state charges for murder and attempted murder. I mean the state prosecutors know his games. They won’t let the feds touch this I hope.
So proud of my St. Paul daughter and son-in-law who were told that protest marches were cancelled yesterday because the assassin was still at large—they went anyway! Her sign read: If there’s money for a parade, there’s money for Medicaid.
*BrassyRebel, You go girl!
I ❤️ that
Unfathomable. My heart aches for these people and I hope the shooter rots in hell.
As a gay man living in Houston, my husband and I have both purchased firearms that we have positioned at secured, specific locations throughout our home. I fear for the future.
I believe I read that the shooter was in Russia frequently. He also worked in the Congo partnered with someone connected to the well known Russian Walker Group. When you considered he first targeted members ( one from each branch of state legislature) from what is essentially a tied state House and Senator looks a lot more sinister. What legislation in Minnesota is being voted on in the near future?
None. Legislative session ended with passage of budget compromise. Then they adjourned. Rep. Hortman’s seat will be filled by another Democrat by the time the next session begins. She represented a solid blue district. DFL has a majority in the Senate. House is tied.
I think the murderer is whacked out over abortion. He’s evangelical.
Hillary was so right. They truly are deplorables. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
What is truly scary is how many misogynists there are who truly want to see women killed. There are scary threads on social media with pathetic men complaining about “b!tches and c&nts” (sorry, thats what they call us), who deserve to die because they focus on stealing men’s jobs instead staying home and “servicing” men where they belong. It is appalling and very scary.