A Minnesota state representative and her husband were shot and killed, and a state senator and his wife were shot and wounded in an "act of targeted political violence" at their homes early Saturday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.
State Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband were shot and killed in what appears to be a "politically-motivated assassination," Walz said at a news conference.
State Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife were both shot multiple times and underwent surgery, the governor said.
"We're cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt," Walz said.
The two shooting locations are a few miles away from each other in Champlin and Brooklyn Park, just north of Minneapolis.
Hoffman and his wife were shot around 2 a.m. in Champlin, Superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Drew Evans said.
After Hoffman was shot, officers were heading to pro-actively check on Hortman when they encountered the suspect at Hortman's home around 3:35 a.m., Evans said.
The officers found a person who was dressed as a police officer -- wearing a vest and a badge, and with a Taser and other equipment -- at the door, coming out of Hortman's house, police said.
The suspect fired at the officers; gunfire was exchanged and the suspect was able to escape and flee on foot, authorities said.
The suspect's vehicle -- which looked like a police vehicle, including police lights -- was in Hortman's driveway, authorities said.
A list of other possible targets was retrieved from the suspect’s vehicle, authorities said. The list named Hortman and Hoffman, police noted.
The list included dozens of other Democrats from Minnesota, including Gov. Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sen. Tina Smith and Attorney General Keith Ellison, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the matter.
LINK: https://abcnews.go.com/US/2-minnesota-l ... =122840751
