The politician who was shot to death is Democrat Melissa Hortman, who was previously the speaker of the state legislature.
My good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, were shot to death early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated murder, said Governor Tim Walz at a press conference.
Even the Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife were shot.
Have been operated on
The Hoffman couple has been operated on and are receiving care, and we are cautiously optimistic that they will survive the murder attempt, said Walz.
The police are hunting a 57-year-old man who is suspected of the shootings. On a photo that has been released, the named man is seen wearing a cowboy hat.
Police Chief Mark Bruley in the Brooklyn Park district, where the murders took place, said that the perpetrator claimed to be a police officer, and that investigators are trying to determine a possible motive.
The police also say they have found a document with a list of politicians and government officials after a raid on a fake police car that is believed to belong to the suspected perpetrator.
President Donald Trump condemns the events.
“I have been informed about the terrible shootings that took place in Minnesota, which appear to be a targeted attack on the state's lawmakers,” he said in a statement.
Cancelled demonstration
A planned demonstration against Donald Trump has been cancelled in the state of Minnesota due to the shootings. Behind the now cancelled demonstration stands the grassroots movement No Kings, which coordinates protest actions against the US government in almost 2,000 cities and towns across the country on Saturday.
The organizers say they have listened to a request from Governor Walz, who is a Democrat, to avoid protests after the murders and to facilitate the police's work to find the perpetrator.
