The wife of a Minnesota state senator wounded in a targeted overnight assassination attempt heroically shielded their daughter as a masked gunman opened fire, narrowly missing the couple’s vital organs, according to family and news reports.
Yvette Hoffman threw herself over their adult daughter, Hope, while accused gunman Vance Luther Boelter unleashed multiple rounds inside their suburban Minneapolis home early Saturday morning, State Sen. John Hoffman’s nephew said.
“Early this morning, an absolute vile piece of s–t dressed as a cop broke into my aunt and uncle’s house and shot him 6 times and my aunt 5 times in a political act of terrorism. My aunt threw herself on her daughter, using her body as a shield to save her life,” Mat Ollig wrote on Facebook.
One bullet came close to striking Democratic State Sen. John Hoffman’s heart, according to KARE11. His nephew, Tim Ollig, confirmed that both Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, had undergone surgery and were in stable condition. Yvette was reported to be awake and responsive as of Saturday night, per KMSP. Their daughter, Hope Hoffman, who is in her 20s, was unharmed in the shooting.
The couple’s home in Champlin was left riddled with bullet holes—believed to be the first stop in the suspect’s violent rampage. From there, the alleged gunman, Vance Luther Boelter, reportedly drove to Brooklyn Park, where he fatally shot Minnesota House Speaker Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, around 3:30 a.m.
Authorities say Boelter posed as a police officer, complete with uniform and badge, before opening fire on the couple at their doorstep. Hortman, 55, died at the scene, while her husband later succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital.
Responding to reports of the earlier shooting in Champlin, Brooklyn Park police arrived at the Hortmans’ home just as Boelter was seen exiting. Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who retreated into the house and then fled.
Police launched an urgent manhunt, establishing a three-mile perimeter around Brooklyn Park. While the lockdown was lifted later that day, authorities warned residents to remain vigilant, avoid engaging with suspicious individuals, and only open doors to pairs of officers.
Meanwhile, Boelter’s wife, Jenny Boelter, was taken in for questioning after being pulled over with several family members near Onamia, Minnesota, according to KTSP.
Vance Boelter, the suspected gunman, had a history of public service, having been appointed to Minnesota’s Workforce Development Council in 2016 by former Gov. Mark Dayton and reappointed to the Workforce Development Board by Gov. Tim Walz in 2019.
Police say Boelter left behind a manifesto naming 70 political figures, including Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, along with papers marked “No Kings”—a possible reference to anti-Trump protests.
Sources told the New York Post that the list also included abortion providers, clinics, and Planned Parenthood locations. Both targeted lawmakers, Sen. John Hoffman and Rep. Melissa Hortman, were pro-choice. Investigators are exploring whether Boelter held extreme anti-abortion views.
