DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:
In Minnesota, a manhunt is underway after what officials are calling a political assassination. State representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were shot and killed in their home. Another lawmaker, state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times in their home. They've undergone surgery today. Here to update us with the latest is Clay Masters, senior politics reporter at Minnesota Public Radio. Good morning, Clay.
CLAY MASTERS, BYLINE: Hi, there.
ELLIOTT: I know this is a difficult one for you to cover. You have been covering these politicians. What is the latest in the investigation?
MASTERS: Police officers say that they arrived at Senator John Hoffman's home and found he and his wife were shot. This shooting happened in the northwest suburb of Champlin of the Twin Cities. Officers made the decision then to check on former Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman's home in Brooklyn Park, which is a nearby suburb to Champlin. It was there that officers encountered a person wearing a badge and had a car with lights and sirens on it. It was a SUV squad car, or at least it looked like one that a police officer would have. The suspect was wearing a vest, taser, a badge, similar to what officers would wear. And the person immediately fired on officers that were approaching the home, and the suspect fled through the back of Representative Hortman's home.
ELLIOTT: You know, this just sounds like a nightmare scenario. Now the suspect is on the loose. What are the police telling the community there?
MASTERS: Yeah. I mean, the Capitol building is closed. Obviously, these were - these shootings happened in the lawmakers' homes. There are No Kings rallies, as we've been hearing about these rallies across the country, that are planned across the state of Minnesota, including on the steps of the Capitol. Governor Tim Walz was supposed to speak at the event, but public safety officials are telling people not to attend these rallies. But, I mean, you look on the streets right now, there are still people organizing and attending in Saint Paul, where the Capitol is here in Minnesota. And there is still a shelter-in-place alert for residents in the area of Brooklyn Park. People are being told not to answer the door for someone who appears to be dressed as a police officer. So it's very much a very tense, developing situation right now.
ELLIOTT: So tell us more about Representative Hortman and Senator Hoffman. How prominent are they? What are they known for?
MASTERS: Yeah. Melissa Hortman - a very prominent lawmaker in the state of Minnesota. She was first elected to the state House in 2004. She served as the House Democratic leader, previously served as House speaker. Senator Hoffman - first elected to the state Senate in 2012 and serves as the chair of the state's, or, excuse me, the Senate's Human Services Committee. The Minnesota Legislature right now, back to Hortman, is about as politically divided as it can be - 100 Republicans and 101 Democrats. The legislative session was a rocky one. The House where Representative Hortman had served as speaker was serving in kind of this co-speakership. It was - she was one of the most steady hands in making sure a deal could get done. And here's how Governor Tim Walz, the former vice presidential candidate, had to say this morning about former Speaker Hortman.
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TIM WALZ: Our state lost a great leader, and I lost the dearest of friends. Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor and a sense of service.
ELLIOTT: Clay, this has been a complex and fraught legislative session at the Capitol in Minnesota. Tell us what's been going on.
MASTERS: Yeah. It has been as closely divided as you can. Hortman was speaker of the House for six years. The last two Democrats had complete control of state government, but in January, Republicans gained a temporary lead over Democrats. House Democrats responded by boycotting the Capitol and denying Republicans a quorum that prevented any real work from being able to get done. Eventually, after the courts stepped in, party leaders, including Hortman, struck a deal, bringing Democrats back to the State House. Things started out really rocky, but they had a special session at the beginning of this week where they were able to kind of tie things up and get a deal done. We were supposed to talk with Hortman on Monday about how this rocky legislative session ended on its feet, but obviously, tragedy has struck.
ELLIOTT: Clay Masters, senior politics reporter at Minnesota Public Radio. Thank you, Clay.
MASTERS: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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