New York: In spine-chilling incidents, two American lawmakers and their spouses were shot at in Minnesota, one of the couples later succumbing to bullet wounds.
State Senator John Hoffman and House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, both Democrats, were targeted in separate shootings at their homes.
Hortman and her husband Mark have died, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said on Saturday.
On the other hand, Senator Hoffman and his wife Yvette have undergone emergency surgeries after both were “shot multiple times”, Walz informed, hoping that they will survive “this assassination attempt”.
He added that the twin shooting was an act of “politically motivated assassination”.
Police officers received a call at 2 am local time regarding the incident involving State senator Hoffman and his wife. Another call was made to police at 3.35 am, when officers were proactively checking on Hortman.
The incidents took place in Champlin and Brooklyn Park, two neighbouring cities in the Minneapolis metropolitan area.
According to police, the gunman was impersonating a police officer and escaped after exchanging fire with officers who responded to the attacks.
Violence won’t be tolerated, says Trump
President Donald Trump said such violence won’t be tolerated.
“I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers,” Trump said in a statement. “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America.”
