“Political violence” in Minnesota | An elected democrat and her husband killed, the suspected suspect

(Washington) A local elected representative in the North of the United States was killed with her husband by a shooter dressed as a police officer, the Minnesota authorities announced on Saturday, who sparked a large manhunt and called the residents of Minneapolis to prudence.

Another local elected official and his wife also targeted were seriously injured.

This “deliberate act of political violence”, in the words of Governor Tim Walz, intervenes in a context already particularly tense in the United States, between intervention of soldiers in the face of demonstrations in Los Angeles, military parade in Washington and anti-top demonstrations across the country.

The suspect, who fled after an exchange of fire with the police, also, according to the authorities, left in his car leaflets mentioning the name of these anti-Trump demonstrations, “No Kings”, as well as a manifesto with a list of many names of elected officials, including Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman.

These two Democrats were the target of fire to their respective homes in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis, in the middle of the night from Friday to Saturday, according to the police. Melissa Hortman and her husband did not survive.

Donald Trump quickly denounced a “terrible” attack, his general prosecutor insisting that “this horrible political violence will not be tolerated”.

Disguised as a police officer

Around two in the morning on Saturday, the shooter first targeted the local senator John Hoffman and his wife at their home in the locality of Champlin. Both were affected by many shots, “were operated on in the hospital, and” we are reasonably optimistic about the fact that they will survive this assassination attempt, “said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz at a press conference.

A “manhunt involving hundreds of police officers” is underway, according to Mark Bruley, the police chief of Brooklyn Park, in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis.

Then, around 3:30 a.m., by going to check, as a precaution, the home of Melissa Hortman in Brooklyn Park, a few kilometers away, the police fell on the assailant, who “immediately shot them,” Drew Evans, boss of the Minnesota Investigation Office, told the press.

“The individual managed to escape during this fire exchange,” he added. A “manhunt involving hundreds of police officers” is underway, according to Mark Bruley, Brooklyn Park police chief.

It was in the car left on the spot by the suspect that the investigators found a manifesto. Security has been reinforced for elected officials present on the suspect’s list, according to American media.

Because the assailant had disguised himself as a police officer, Mark Bruley asked the inhabitants to be particularly vigilant and to call for help if someone with a knack uniform at the door.

According to American media, the inhabitants of Brooklyn Park are called to stay at home.

Elected “irreplaceable”

Melissa Hortman, victim with her husband Mark of “what seems to be a politically motivated assassination” according to Tim Walz, was an elected official of the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2004 and was her former president.

Mother of two children, 55, she will be “irreplaceable”, reacted Tim Walz.

Melissa Hortman “had devoted her life to serve the inhabitants of Minnesota, with integrity and compassion”, wrote on X Amy Klobuchar, senator from Minnesota, saying herself “upset and horrified” by the death of her “big friend”.

The demonstration scheduled for Minneapolis against Donald Trump on Saturday was canceled by the organizers. Minnesota authorities have called on the population “not to participate in the demonstrations organized today, as a precaution”.

“A peaceful political discourse is at the foundation of our democracy. We do not settle our conflicts with pistol, ”insisted Governor Tim Walz, former package of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the presidential election last November.

The United States has also recently undergone several targeted attacks on its political leaders. Donald Trump escaped an assassination attempt last July during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

In 2022, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, then Democratic head of the House of Representatives, had been attacked with a hammer at his home in California.