“We are raised in prayer and support from many people across Minnesota and the country. Thank you,” Hoffmans’ statement reads.
The murdered and injured Minnesota legislator was respected all night
Neighbors gathered to honor State Rep. Melissa Hortman and Sen. John Hoffman. Hortman was killed and Hoffman was injured in separate shootings.
Sen. John Hoffman has issued a statement detailing the couple’s version of what happened during the violent invasion, when officials who were shot with their wife in a Minnesota home almost a week ago with their wife and deemed “target.”
Under the cover of the night, in the early hours of June 14th, gunmen accessed the couple’s Shamplin home, shooting Democrat lawmakers and shooting their wife. Police said Yvette Hoffmann was surviving.
Her husband shot nine times and remained in critical condition on June 19, and a spokesman for the hospital system that treated him told Kare 11. She was released from hospital on Thursday, June 19th.
USA Today does not identify hospitals for safety and privacy reasons. The reporter contacted the hospital for details but had not received a response.
Another Minnesota lawmaker, state Rep. Melissa Hortman, and her husband Mark Hortman, were also shot at her home the same day, Brooklyn Park police officers said. Law enforcement discovered the body on Saturday, June 14th.
Following a fierce manhunt, on June 15, law enforcement arrested 57-year-old Vanthruservoelter in connection with both shootings. He faces state and federal murder charges, including multiple murders and stalkers.
Gov. Tim Waltz publicly calls the killing a political assassination. Well, a few days after the shooting, John and Yvette Hoffman detail that “a horrible night.”
Statement from John and Yvette Hoffman
According to a statement from John and Yvette Hoffman, the couple, who shared with USA Today, attended a Humphrey Mondale dinner on Friday, June 13th, and went home that night with their adult daughter Hope.
At about 2am, the couple was awakened by a “scream of those slamming the front door and seeking the entrance.” The individual identifies themselves as a police officer, and the statement continues when the couple opens the door and all three were at the front door.
According to the statement, John Hoffman “initially, the weapon was pointed directly at him, so he charged at the gunman when it was pointed directly at him.” When he collapsed, his wife reached out to push the gunman and close the door, and was successful before she “takes eight hits in the gunfire,” the statement continues.
Hoffman hastily closes the door and locks it in place before calling 911 to read the statement before sharing that his father was shot at his house.
“Her brave actions and prompt thinking have led to a notice to public safety officials that politically motivated behavior is potentially ongoing,” the statement said of hope.
The couple, who continue to receive medical care, said in a statement that they “we are “deeply grateful to these providers” to all the people in law enforcement who worked very quickly, professionally and selflessly to protect others and arrest the shooter.
The statement also stated about the murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman, “We are heartbroken to learn that our friends Melissa and Mark Hortman have been assassinated. Our daughters Hope and Sophie Hortman went to school together.
The couple also thanked the people at Fernbrook Elementary School in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
“We are rising in prayer and support from many people across Minnesota and the country. Thank you,” the statement reads.
The statement also spoke of the risks of being a civil servant in society today, saying, “Even as limited as John’s career as a senator, choosing to work in the public sector means always at the expense of privacy.
“As a society, as a nation, as a community, we must work together to return to courtesy at a level where everyone can live peacefully. The future of our children depends on that,” the statement continues. “We pray for the job and thank all those who participate with us.”
USA Today contacted Hoffman’s office on June 20th, but did not receive a response.
The shooter game is intended to kill, injured, harass and threaten national leaders, the Fed says.
Acting US lawyer for Minnesota, Joseph Thompson, said he launched a targeted “political assassination” the morning when Bolter visited the homes of two other state officials. Belter drove into the homes of other state authorities after shooting and killing John Hoffman and his wife.
Police arrested Bolter on June 15 in Sibley County, a rural area about 50 miles from Minneapolis.
The suspect also targeted several other Midwest lawmakers, prosecutors said.
According to a 20-page court affidavit released on June 17, FBI agent Terry Gette, who detailed details of the violent and fatal crime, wrote that he intended suspects who intended “kill, wounded, harassed, and threatened” and more than 45 Minnesota and federal officials who gave the names and speeches he studied.
Investigators say Bolter “experienced research” and planned the June 14 attack. He compiled a list of mostly democratic state legislators and their speeches. He installed lights and fake license plates on the SUV, similar to police squad cars. And he purchased a silicon mask and a cache of weapons, court documents filed on a federal court display.
Contributions: Rebecca Morin, Christopher Kang, Susan Miller, Jorge L. Ortiz
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter at USA Today. Contact her at nalund @usatoday.com and follow her at x @nataliealund.
