The politically-motivated overnight assassination this past weekend of Democratic Minnesota State Rep. and former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and near-fatal shooting of Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, shocked not only the local political landscape, but the nation as well.
On Saturday, District 15A veteran House Rep. Chris Swedzinski spoke with the Tracy Area Headlight Herald and shared his personal thoughts on the incident.
“She was a very caring individual, very good at her job, and our hearts just go out to her and her family,” Swedzinski said.
The suspected shooter, Vance Boelter, 57, was the subject of the state’s largest ever manhunt before being apprehended Sunday near his Green Isle residence.
Boelter, who was said to be wearing a latex mask at the time of the shootings, also had a target list with the names of dozens of Minnesota Democrats, law enforcement said.
Swedzinski said he knows Sen. Hoffman “pretty well,” and had “a lot of conversations” with Rep. Hortman, who he called a “very caring individual.”
“We’ve brought a lot of students to the Capitol, over the years, and Melissa has been very gracious — Jessica (his wife) and I have a group that we bring to the Capitol from a youth leadership school, and she’s been very gracious and has spoken to the group multiple times.”
Boelter’s list of potential targets that was found in his vehicle included the names of abortion providers and pro-choice activists, several sources have said.
Those on the list included Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and state Attorney General Keith Ellison, according to law enforcement sources.
Many of the Democratic lawmakers on the list have been outspoken about prochoice policy positions, sources said.
Swedzinski said regardless of political views, the shooter was likely facing mental health issues.
“My gut says you’re dealing with a person that is more than likely mentally unstable to some extent,” he said. “Just the diabolicalness of dressing like a police officer … it’s absolutely unbelieveable.”
Swedzinski said politicians are just like people in the private sector — they come home after work, and do things we all do — things like mowing their grass and spending time with their kids.
“It’s just a sad day in Minnesota,” he said. “We just need to hold people like this accountable, whether it’s a group of people or one person.”
He added that law enforcement in the cities where the shootings took place should be commended for their response. The two locations are a few miles away from each other in Champlin and Brooklyn Park, just north of Minneapolis. Reportedly, officers were proactively checking on Hortman at her home when they found Boelter leaving her house. It was there that the suspect fired at the officers before fleeing on foot, leaving behind his vehicle which looked like a police vehicle, complete with police lights.
“We definitely live in a flawed world,” said Swedzinski. “We have broken people, a broken society, broken families … it’s sad, it’s just sad. This is something you’d expect to see in a thirdworld country. Swedzinski added that a Lyon County Deputy was stationed at the end of his driveway Saturday morning as a precaution.
“I never felt like we were in danger, but we appreciate it,” he said.
