The wife of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman defended the couple’s daughter during the “politically motivated assassination” attempt at their home over the weekend, throwing herself “on top” of the woman and “using her body as a shield to save her life,” according to a relative.
“[The daughter] was not hit,” Mat Ollig, the nephew of Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, told local NBC affiliate KARE. Hope Hoffman, a woman in her twenties, was at the couple’s Champlin home when 57-year-old Vance Boetler allegedly targeted them in a pair of coordinated attacks on Hoffman and Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was killed by Boetler early Saturday along with her husband following the Hoffman shooting.
“Early this morning, an absolute vile piece of s— 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,” Ollig wrote on Facebook Saturday in a since-deleted post, as first reported by The Minnesota Star Tribune. “My aunt threw herself on her daughter as a shield to save her life. “I’m beyond sick,” Ollig said.
KARE reports that Hope, who was born with spina bifida, was a major reason Hoffman entered politics, with the senator previously stating that he wanted to be a voice for people with disabilities. Ollig brought it up on Facebook.
“He went into politics to help people with disabilities get the care they need, and she works with young school children,” she said. “They have always been there for me and everyone in our family and community.”
Champlin Police arrived at the Hoffmans’ home around 2 a.m. Saturday and discovered the couple with gunshot wounds, but they survived. Boetler allegedly moved on to the Hortmans’ Brooklyn Park home and killed them around 3:30 a.m., with officers arriving minutes later and being met with bullets as Boetler exited and fled on foot, according to officials.
Police say Boetler was wearing police gear and a mask during the shootings. A vehicle resembling a police SUV with flashing lights was discovered outside the Hortman residence, with a manifesto inside that included the names of other targets.
Vance Boelter allegedly fled to a Minneapolis residence near 49th and Fremont, where cops say he rented a room on the side, according to local Fox affiliate KMSP.
According to KMSP, Boetler texted two of his roommates, telling them he had made some bad decisions and could die soon.
At a press conference on Saturday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the shootings as “targeted political violence.”
The list of people allegedly found in Boetler’s vehicle included nearly 70 names, the majority of whom were Democratic politicians or figures associated with abortion rights. KARE reported that Minnesota lawmakers Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Tina Smith were both on the list.
The suspect remained at large on Sunday.
“I assure you that those responsible for this will be held accountable,” Walz told the crowd. “Each and every one of us are committed to making sure that a tragedy like this never repeats itself in Minnesota or across this country.”
