Sen. Hoffman Improving But Not ‘Out of the Woods’ After Shooting

Sen. John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) and his wife, Yvette, are in stable condition in the hospital after both were shot in their Champlin home early Saturday morning. 

“Our family is so humbled by the love and outpouring we’ve received from everyone,” Yvette wrote in a statement to Sen. Amy Klobuchar. “John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods. He took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly luck 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. Thank you for your friendship always. Minnesotans are at our very best when we stand together.”

Police say Vance Boelter, who was arrested Sunday night, impersonated a police officer when he shot the Hoffmans. 

Gov. Tim Walz characterized the attack as “politically-motivated.”

A screenshot of a statement Yvette Hoffman sent to Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Boelter also allegedly shot Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in their Brooklyn Park home.

According to the criminal complaint, Boelter drove to the Hoffman residence in an SUV with police-style lights. 

Wearing a mask and police gear, he knocked on the door and shot the Hoffmans. 

When police saw that Hoffman had been shot, they conducted a wellness check on Hortman, who was House speaker from 2019 to 2025 before becoming speaker emerita in a power-sharing agreement with Republicans.

Officers arrived to find Boelter firing gunshots through the door at Mark Hortman. 

Boelter escaped, while officers tended to both Melissa and Mark Hortman, who each suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators found multiple firearms and a list of names and addresses for public officials in his vehicle.

Police arrested Boelter near Green Isle, Minn., a town about 50 miles west of Minneapolis.

Hoffman chairs the Minnesota Senate Human Services Committee. He was first elected to his seat in 2012.

More Coverage on Rep. Hortman Assassination, Sen. Hoffman Shooting

• Vance Boelter, Suspect in Hortman Murders, Arrested Following ‘Largest Manhunt in State History’
• Rep. Hortman and Husband Killed, Sen. Hoffman and Wife Shot in ‘Politically-Motivated Assassination’

Brooklyn Park | Champlin