ST. PAUL — Sen. John Hoffman and his wife released a statement Thursday night recounting how they were shot in their home in what’s being called an act of targeted political violence.
The June 19 statement recounted the early morning hours of Saturday, June 14, when Sen. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot in their Champlin home. The family attended the Humphrey Mondale dinner on Friday night, and were awoken at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday by the sounds of pounding on their front door, according to the statement.
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John and Yvette Hoffman and their daughter, Hope, went to the entryway of the home and opened the door to a man identifying himself as a police officer, according to the statement.
“John initially lunged at the gunman as the weapon was pointed directly at him, getting struck nine times,” The Hoffmans' statement said. “As John fell, Yvette reached out to push the man and shut the door, succeeding before she was also hit eight times by gunfire. Hope then rushed to shut the door and secured the lock; she got to the phone and shared with the 911 operator that Senator John Hoffman had been shot in his home.”
In the statement, Sen. Hoffman and Yvette thanked Hope for her “brave actions and quick thinking,” as well as law enforcement and the community for their support.
“We are heartbroken to know that our friends Melissa and Mark Hortman were assassinated,” The Hoffmans said. “Our daughter Hope and Sophie Hortman went to school together, and we know that they — along with Colin Hortman — will have each other’s support as we all work through the devastating consequences of that horrific night.”
John and Yvette Hoffman are in recovery, according to the statement. Yvette is in stable condition, while Sen. Hoffman is in critical but stable condition.
“Choosing to work in the public sector, even in as limited a way as John’s career as a senator, has always meant sacrificing a level of privacy,” The Hoffmans said. “But now we are grappling with the reality that we live in a world where public service carries such risks as being targeted because someone disagrees with you or doesn’t like what you stand for.”
“As a society, as a nation, as a community, we must work together to return to a level of civility that allows us all to live peacefully. The future for our children depends on that,” The Hoffmans said in the statement.
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57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, suspect in the Hoffmans’ shooting, as well as the assassination of House DFL Leader Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark , has been charged with federal and state crimes. He is currently being held in Sherburne County Jail and, if convicted, faces maximum punishments of life in prison or the death penalty.
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