Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman’s wife shared an update after a shooting injured the couple at their home early Saturday morning. The family also shared a statement after the suspect was taken into custody Sunday night.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Sunday afternoon shared on social media a text message she says she received from Yvette Hoffman.
“Our family is so humbled by the love and outpouring from everyone,” Yvette Hoffman said in the message.
The Hoffmans’ nephew says she jumped on her and John Hoffman’s adult daughter, Hope Hoffman, to shield her from the shots. Hope Hoffman was unharmed.
Yvette Hoffman says her husband was shot nine times and she was shot eight times.
“John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods,” she said. “…We are incredibly lucky to be alive. We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark. We have no words. There is never a place for this kind of political hate.”
Police first responded to a call of a shooting at the Hoffmans’ home in Champlin, Minnesota, around 2 a.m. Saturday, according to Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
A few miles away, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot at their home in Brooklyn Park. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the attacks politically motivated.
Officials identified 57-year-old Vance Boelter as the suspect, and said he is considered armed and dangerous. He was taken into custody Sunday evening near his Sibley County home.
Following the arrest, the Hoffman family released a statement:
“First and foremost, John and I hold a deep and profound gratitude for the work of our law enforcement agencies and the public for their help in bringing the suspect to justice, while diligently keeping our communities safe during this extremely difficult and senseless event.
“John and I are both incredibly lucky to be alive. We continue our healing journey and are humbled by the outpouring of love and support our family has received from across the state and our nation.
“There is never a place for senseless political violence and loss of life. We are devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark, and our hearts go out to all those who knew and loved them both. We are always at our best when we unite together.”
Outside the Hortmans’ home, Boelter left a vehicle that “looked exactly like an SUV squad car,” according to Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley. It contained an extensive list of possible targets, authorities said. There were also fliers connected to Saturday’s “No Kings” protests found inside.
On Sunday morning, authorities say they found a car belonging to Boelter seemingly abandoned in Sibley County along with a cowboy hat similar to one he was seen wearing after the shooting.
