On June 14, 2025, former Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (DFL) and her husband Mark were fatally shot in their Brooklyn Park home, while State Senator John Hoffman (DFL) and his wife Yvette were seriously wounded in a related attack at their Champlin residence. Authorities described the incidents as targeted political violence, with suspect Vance Luther Boelter, a 57-year-old former security firm operator, impersonating a police officer to gain access. Boelter, arrested after a massive manhunt, faced federal and state charges for murder, attempted murder, and stalking, amid evidence of a hit list targeting dozens of Democratic officials, abortion rights advocates, and facilities.

Boelter, described in reports as deeply religious and politically conservative, left behind a rambling letter confessing to the shootings but claiming he acted on orders from Governor Tim Walz to assassinate figures like U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar for political advancement. Prosecutors and officials dismissed these allegations as baseless and incoherent, attributing them to Boelter’s apparent delusions, with no evidence supporting any involvement by Walz or others. While the story initially dominated headlines as a shocking act of domestic political terrorism, media coverage tapered off in subsequent months as investigations focused on Boelter’s solo planning and motives rooted in anti-Democratic extremism.

Adding to online speculation, a Minnesota Department of Human Services whistleblower group later noted that Senator Hoffman, as chair of the Human Services Committee, was reportedly the only DFL legislator willing to engage with their concerns over alleged fraud in state programs—potentially linking the attacks to oversight of sensitive issues like childcare funding scandals. Amid a flood of conspiracy theories in a polarized climate, questions persist about why certain angles received limited scrutiny, though authorities maintain the case points to a lone actor driven by ideological hatred rather than coordinated intrigue.