Azernews.Az

Two Democratic Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses were shot Saturday in what Governor Tim Walz said was likely a targeted political attack by a suspect impersonating a police officer, Azernews reports via Bloomberg.

Democratic House leader Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband, Mark, were killed at their home. State Senator John Hoffman, 60, and his wife, Yvette, were wounded in a separate shooting at their home, authorities said. President Donald Trump has been briefed and condemned the “horrific violence,” according to a social post from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Police said a “manifesto” listing lawmakers throughout the US was found in a vehicle linked to the suspect, who was at large and the subject of a major law enforcement dragnet.

“An unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in Minnesota,” Walz told a news conference.

The White House statement, attributed to Trump, said he was briefed on the shooting, “which appears to be a targeted attack” against state lawmakers.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI were investigating and will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law, the statement said.

“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” it said.

Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2024, called on Americans to settle their differences peacefully.

“We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,” he said.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer condemned political extremism.

The shootings, Schumer said, were “acts of political extremism and an assault on our democracy itself.”

Republican US Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota also expressed horror at the attack.

“No public official — or any American — should fear for their safety in their own home, and we condemn this despicable act of political violence.”

Political tensions across the US have increased as hundreds of anti-Trump protests are planned across the country, and Trump is scheduled to hold a large military parade in Washington, DC.

In light of the shootings, Minnesota state police asked people in the state to skip the “No King” demonstrations "out of an abundance of caution".