Minnesota Legislature House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park held a morning press conference to lay out the priorities of the DFL majority Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023 St. Paul, Minn.
Glen Stubb | Star Tribune | Getty Images
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed early Saturday in what appears to be a “politically motivated assassination,” Gov. Tim Walz said.
“Out state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends,” Walz said during a news conference.
Walz also said that Minnesota Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were each shot multiple times. They remained alive as of Saturday morning.
“We are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt,” Walz said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that she is “closely monitoring developments in Minnesota after what appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers.”
She said the FBI is on the ground in Minnesota and working with state and local law enforcement.
“This horrific violence will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi wrote on X.
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