Profile of Melissa Hortman, Minnesota US House Member Shot Dead

 Minnesota US House of Representatives member Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark died after being shot at their home on Saturday (14/6). The shooting is suspected to have been politically motivated.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz confirmed the deaths of Melissa and Mark Hortman. Vance Boelter, who is suspected of being the perpetrator of the shooting, is still being pursued by authorities.

“This appears to be a politically motivated murder,” Tim Walz said at a press conference, as reported by CNN.

Melissa Hortman is a decades-long member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

She has a background as a lawyer and a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota politician.

Hortman began her career working for Senators Al Gore and John Kerry. He began his career after graduating from Boston College, before studying law at the University of Minnesota.

She was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2004, representing District 34B in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. Melissa Hortman's progress has led her to become the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025.

Hortman's performance as a representative of the people in Minnesota is not far from the fields of transportation, K-12 education funding, higher education, energy, and the environment.

She was also involved in the fight for equality and inclusivity in Brooklyn Park, where she lived in Minnesota. This struggle gave birth to the Brooklyn Park Human Rights Commission, which is active to this day.

Melissa Hortman has also recently taken part in drafting legislation on reproductive health care, gender-affirming health care, state health care, and family leave.

Hortman and her husband were later found dead in their home in the Brooklyn Park neighborhood. Based on officer information, the perpetrator was wearing police-like clothing when he left Hortman's house.

The perpetrator also shot at the police before fleeing. Officers are investigating the details of the perpetrator, including the possibility that the shooter was wearing a latex mask when he carried out his actions.

On the other hand, the police also found a list containing 70 names of alleged shooting targets in the perpetrator's car. The names contain members of parliament to abortion service providers.

A massive search was then carried out to find the 57-year-old suspected perpetrator Vance Boelter. Governor Tim Walz also activated the State Emergency Operations Center and called on all authorities to jump in to investigate the case.

The Brooklyn Park Police Department issued a stay-at-home order within a 3-mile radius of the Edinburgh Golf Course on Saturday morning.

"Local police departments in Champlin and Brooklyn Park are fully supported by the resources of the State of Minnesota. We are monitoring the situation closely and will share more information soon," Walz said in his post on X.

In addition to the two victims, state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were also victims of the shooting. They survived after being rushed to the hospital and undergoing surgery.