The recent shootings of two Minnesota legislators and their spouses represent the latest examples of increasing political violence in the U.S.
Democratic state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot on Saturday by a man who, according to authorities, was posing as a police officer. The same assailant also attacked Democratic state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who are currently hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Authorities have identified Vance Boelter, 57, as the suspect in both shootings. Boelter faces federal murder charges, which could result in the death penalty, in addition to state charges.
These attacks occur amidst a growing threat of political violence against U.S. lawmakers. Members of Congress, as well as state and local officials, have been targets in several significant violent incidents in recent years. These include the 2011 shooting of then-Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, the 2017 shooting at a Congressional baseball practice that injured Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana and others, and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. While no lawmakers were injured during the Capitol attack, over 100 people sustained injuries, and at least seven deaths have been linked to the event, according to a report.
The number of concerning statements and direct threats against members of Congress, their families, and staff, investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police, has substantially increased in the last seven years. Figures rose from 3,939 in 2017 to 9,625 in 2021, as stated by the report.
The past year has witnessed another surge. The Capitol Police investigated 9,474 direct threats and concerning statements in 2024, an increase from 8,008 the prior year. Reuters reported a minimum of 51 incidents of political violence between January and October of the previous year leading up to the 2024 election, among 300 recorded since the January 6th attack. The news outlet described these incidents as “part of the largest and most sustained increase in U.S. political violence since the 1970s.”
Below are some of the attacks carried out against U.S. lawmakers during a violent year in the country’s politics.
The assassination attempts against Trump
On July 13, 2024, someone fired towards the stage where Donald Trump was speaking at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. One bullet struck Trump in his right ear, while one bystander died and two others were injured.
The shooter was later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper at the scene.
Two months later, authorities investigated a potential threat at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024. During Trump’s golf outing, a Secret Service agent positioned ahead of Trump spotted a man holding a rifle, approximately 400 yards away, emerging from a nearby tree line. According to authorities, the suspect did not fire any shots and lacked a clear line of sight to Trump. Secret Service agents fired at the suspect, who dropped his weapon and other items before fleeing in a vehicle.
Trump was unharmed in the second incident. Authorities later identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, a former Trump supporter with a strong interest in defending Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.
The arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home
In April, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were at home when they were awakened by a state trooper knocking on the door after a fire started. They were safely evacuated, and firefighters extinguished the blaze. Video surveillance of the incident showed a suspect climbing over a fence, entering Shapiro’s home through a window, and throwing an incendiary device inside, according to reports. Another device was also thrown into the home.
The suspect was later apprehended and identified by authorities as Cody A. Balmer. Authorities stated that Balmer confessed to setting Shapiro’s home on fire and said he would have “beaten him with a hammer” had the governor found him.
The shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described the Saturday shootings as acts of “targeted political violence.”
“Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint,” Walz stated. “This tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us that democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in state houses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place.”
Boelter faces federal charges related to stalking both lawmakers, murdering Hortman and her husband, and shooting Hoffman and his wife. He also faces state charges related to the murder of Hortman and her husband, as well as the shooting of Hoffman and his wife.
Authorities reported on Monday that Boelter went to the residences of two other Minnesota elected officials between the shootings. Law enforcement recovered a “manifesto” from the vehicle believed to be used by the suspect, which listed Hortman’s and Hoffman’s names, along with other local lawmakers and organizations. Democratic Minnesota Senator Tina Smith was among those named on Boelter’s list, she told reporters.
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