Lawmaker who survived shooting recalls terrifying attack and how daughter saved ‘countless other lives’
A Minnesota lawmaker has revealed how his daughter saved ‘countless other lives’ after he and his wife were shot in their home.
On June 14 Melissa Hortman, 55, and John Hoffman, 60, were attacked in their respective homes.
The attack killed Minnesota Rep. Hortman and her husband Mark, while Senator Hoffman and his wife Yvette were rushed to hospital to receive treatment for their injuries early hours in the morning.
Police were notified of the shooting at Hoffman’s home at approximately 2.00am, as per Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension where they were met with suspect Vance Luther Boelter, 57.
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Boelter began firing at the officers and managed to escape on foot, leading to a large-scale man hunt.
Boelter, who allegedly text his roommate that he ‘may be dead shortly’, named several other people on a hit list.
Audio recordings from the night of the attack revealed that Hoffman was shot once in the elbow and once in the abdomen, where he had ‘bleeding going on in his stomach’ that was ‘very distended’.
It also mentioned a female victim in the home with Hoffman who had been shot three times, once in her arm and twice in her abdomen.
Meanwhile, Hoffman, a Democrat, was first elected in 2012 and runs Hoffman Strategic Advisors, a consulting firm. At the time of the attack, their adult daughter was in the home with him and his wife, which he says saved many other lives.
"Without Hope, we wouldn't be here right now," the married couple claimed in a statement on Wednesday.
When Boelter knocking on the Hoffmans door, the senator and his wife were in the entry way when they opened it, along with Hope.
"John initially lunged at the gunman as the weapon was pointed directly at him, getting struck nine times. As John fell, Yvette reached out to push the man and shut the door," the family said.
As a result, Yvette was shot eight times while trying to shut the doo,r and their daughter shut the door and secured the lock before calling 911.
That’s when she told the operator: "Senator John Hoffman has been shot in his home."
According to Hoffman, it was those words that saved other lives that night.
The family shared: "Our daughter's quick instincts and wherewithal to state that her dad is Senator John Hoffman when she called 911 led the police getting to the Hortmans so quickly and saving countless other lives."
According to acting US Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joseph Thompson, two other lawmakers were spared that night, having traveled to the homes of two other lawmakers to potentially attack them too.
However, police were aware of Hoffman and Hortman’s shooting and actively visited other homes of those in politics as a precaution.
One officer saw Boelter, believing him to be a police man outside of a potential victim’s home before he took off.
Boelter, who was arrested Sunday night, is said to have created a list of 45 elected officials in notebooks in his car and now faces stalking and firearms charges and state charges including first-degree murder.
Boelter was apprehended on June 15 in a wooded area in Sibley County, which is southwest of Minneapolis after police received a tipoff of the gunman's whereabouts.
“After a two-day manhunt and two sleepless nights, law enforcement have apprehended Vance Boelter,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said during a press briefing.
Ramsey County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook of the arrest: "The face of evil. After relentless and determined police work, the killer is now in custody. Thanks to the dedication of multiple agencies working together along with support from the community, justice is one step closer."
Topics: Gun Crime, Police, Politics, US News, Minnesota, Crime
Britt Jones